Kelowna news

Dog that survived horrific attack now has just days left to live
KELOWNA – She has defied the odds before, but this one she won't come back from—one of the two dogs that survived a horrific attack five months ago has developed terminal cancer and will be euthanized this week. Sheena is a 10-year-old Rottweiler and one of three dogs subjected to a brutal late night attack...

‘One can hardly imagine a more horrific assault’ than Bobbitt’s: Crown
KELOWNA – Reckless, self-serving, grandiose, entitled, antisocial, narcissistic, lacking in empathy, sexually sadistic, psychopathic and violent. Those are some of the words the Crown used to describe David Wesley Bobbitt in a hearing to determine if he deserves dangerous offender status. Bobbitt, 39, has already pleaded guilty to seven charges, but before Justice Peter Rogers...

Alleged gangster convicted for cache of guns released
KELOWNA – A man suspected of having ties to the Hells Angels who was convicted of almost a dozen weapons-related charges last year has been released from custody pending an appeal. Cory Joseph Montemurro, 45, was driving a rented Jeep Grand Cherokee Nov. 25, 2010 when police found him and three other men with an...

Hockey dad could face criminal charges
WHEN YELLING AT REFEREES GOES TOO FAR THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – A Kamloops hockey dad who allegedly took his anger out on referees in the parking lot after a Junior-A hockey game in Penticton last week could face charges. Penticton RCMP Sgt. Rick Dellebuur says the 52-year-old father of a Merritt Cenntennials player allegedly threatened two referees...

RCMP helicopter permanently flying north
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Don't expect to see RCMP helicopters flying overhead as often going forward, a Kamloops-based RCMP helicopter will be handed over to the North District this April leaving only one to cover the entire district. “They’re moving the one from Kamloops to Prince George. (The district-level decision) was based on the fact that they...

Firefighters investigate report of smoke at Executive House apartment complex
KELOWNA - Firefighters weren't taking any chances following a report of smoke coming from a fourth floor unit at the Executive House apartment complex this afternoon. Emergency crews were called out at roughly 3 p.m. Feb. 24. According to Kelowna Fire and Rescue Platoon Capt. Tim Light, the smoke was the result of a cigarette...

No such thing as free parking; budget for parkade expansion takes off
KELOWNA - City councillors have found out what the rest of us have known for years — that parking doesn’t come cheap in Kelowna. City staff have asked council to transfer $762,000 from the future Ellis St. parkade budget to the current Library parkade expansion, allowing the project to be complete for summer, 2016. The...

Kelowna woman charged after trying to smuggle 35 kg of cocaine into B.C.
WEST KELOWNA – A large amount of drugs found in a hidden compartment in the trunk of a car over the summer have led to charges against a Kelowna woman. Charges of were laid against Caitlin Christine Gladdish, 26, over the weekend for trying to bring more than 35 kilograms of cocaine into Trail, B.C....

What Colin Basran had during the election that rival Sharon Shepherd didn’t
KELOWNA — The 2014 mayoral race in Kelowna, which quickly came down to current councillor Colin Basran versus former mayor Sharon Shepherd, was billed as youth versus experience. It might have been better pegged as 'have' and 'have-not.' Winner, and now Mayor, Basran outspent Shepherd well over three to one, raising through contributions almost $76,000...
Make sure you know the rules before using Curtis Road
KELOWNA - Over the past five years, the use of the easement roadway through the Curtis Road subdivision west of campus has been the subject of Court proceedings. In May 2012, the Court ordered that the Curtis Road easement could only be used by UBC students and employees who have classes or employment in the...
Respect the sports fields closure
KELOWNA - The City of Kelowna would like to remind residents that the City’s sports fields are still closed, despite the warm weather and sunny skies. The grass needs to be actively growing and the fields need to dry out to ensure the best quality turf for players during the spring season. The fields are...
UPDATE: Cache of guns, Hell’s Angels paraphernalia found on traffic stop: Crown
KELOWNA – Whether or not Hell’s Angel Joseph Bruce Skreptak knew he was in a vehicle full of guns when he was arrested Nov. 25, 2010 was the focus of the opening day of his Supreme Court trial Wednesday morning. Skreptak, who was arrested shortly after 10 that night along with three other men, is...

Hells Angel and friend get five years for gun charges
KELOWNA – Two men with ties to the Hells Angels were each sentenced to five years in jail Tuesday for getting caught carrying an arsenal of weapons in 2010. Hells Angel Joseph Bruce Skreptak, 52, and alleged gang associate Cory Montemurro, 44, were pulled over November 25, 2010 after leaving a legal marijuana grow operation...
Kelowna Hell’s Angel gets jail time for brutal beating
KELOWNA - A self-acknowleged Hell's Angels member from Kelowna was sentenced to two years and two months in prison today. Joseph Bruce Skreptak pleaded guilty to an unprovoked assault on the father of a young boy he suspected of stealing from him. On November 1, 2010. Skreptak and four of his Hell's Angels associates arrived...

Hells Angel sentencing could be postponed until after Christmas
KELOWNA - What was supposed to be a day of final submissions ahead of sentencing has turned into a multi-day examination into the lives of two men convicted of multiple weapons charges. Admitted Hells Angel Joseph Bruce Skreptak and alleged gang associate Cory Montemurro asked to postpone sentencing until early January so they can spend...