RCMP seeking suspect in suspicious occurrence in Sloan Avenue area

In police terms it's called a "be on the look out for", and that call has gone out across the city as the RCMP investigate a suspicious and worrisome incident of Thursday in the Sloan Avenue area on the city's west side.

The local detachment issued the following information on an incident which saw a twenty year old male, approach a ten year old girl walking her dog, he then reportedly invited her to his home where the young girl said he had candy and puppy. She said no and returned home to tell her mother who phoned the RCMP.

The nature of the incident has given RCMP cause for concern, after a thorough search of the Sloan Avenue area on Thursday night did not provide a sighting of the suspect.

On Friday they issued a public request for assistance in the incident.

On Thursday, March 18, 2010 at approximately 7:00 pm, a ten year old girl was walking on Sloan Avenue in Prince Rupert with her dog. A male approximately 20 years old approached the child on foot and asked her to come to his place. He offered her candy and told her that he had candy at his place and that she should come and see it. The child kept saying "No" and ran home and told her mother who then contacted the police. RCMP attended the area and made extensive patrols, but did not locate the suspect.


The suspect was described as male, first nations, approximately 20 years old, dark brown hair, long sleeved blue shirt, blue jeans with a tattoo of a rose on his left arm.

As part of the reach out to the public for assistance, on Friday the School District launched a robo call alert to those parents with students in School District 52, with Superintendent Lynn Hauptman outlining the nature of the concerns, the details of the incident and what steps the elementary and secondary schools have taken to alert their students (and parents) of the incident.

The School District also provided a copy of the RCMP's media alert posted to their website and has asked parents to go over their own safety precautions with their children in light of the Thursday night incident.

Should anyone have any information on the incident or from the general description of the suspect they are asked to contact the local detachment at 250-627-0700

Drugs intercepted en route to Lax Kw’alaams

The Prince Rupert RCMP’s Rural section arrested adult two males on January 21st, as they were preparing to board the Spirit of lax Kw’alaams ferry. Upon investigation 1.5 kilograms of marijuana were seized, allegedly destined for the North coast community.

The Daily News provided some background on the incident and on the RCMP’s drug interdiction program.

Drug haul found on Simpson ferryboat
The Daily News
Tuesday, January 27, 2008
Page one

Two people were arrested last week after allegedly attempting to board the Spirit of Lax Kw'alaams ferry with 1.5 kilograms of marijuana.

The two adult males, both residents of Lax Kw'alaams, were arrested on Wed., Jan. 21 by Rural Section members of the Prince Rupert RCMP before boarding the ferry in Prince Rupert.

Rural Section members consider the 1.5 kgs of marijuana to be a significant drug seizure, and believe the drugs' destination was the small coastal community. The RCMP is dedicated to targetting drug trafficking and always asks for public assistance to identify and report any information regarding trafficking, especially in the rural communities.

Anyone with information regarding drug trafficking is urged to contact the Prince Rupert RCMP at 627-0700, or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222- TIPS(84 77). People calling CrimeStoppers are completely anonymous, and they are never asked for their name or phone number. Call display is never used and callers will never have to testify in court. CrimeStoppers pays up to $2,000 cash rewards for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Seventy three year old man tired of being a victim of crime

Friday’s Daily News detailed the troubles of Louie Belas, a seventy three year old resident who lives just outside of the city of Prince Rupert. Over the last few years he has been the victim of several break and enters at his property, a situation that the RCMP has been unable to resolve so far.

Belas who has four files currently with the RCMP some dating back to 1999, has been away from his property more frequently these days due to a number of medical problems that he is facing. It’s when he leaves town that his house becomes a target, though he is worried that one night he’ll be victimized while he’s at home.

His story paints a rather cowardly picture of those who are taking advantage of his isolation and personal situation. It also suggests that perhaps some form of social assistance or home care services might be needed for the senior in declining health. Hopefully someone at Northern health will have read the Daily News story and sent a case worker out to his residence to take a look and see what assistance might be available for him in his current situation.

Almost as a side story, his problems raise the local discussion point about the number of RCMP members in the community and whether there are enough posted to the detachment to do a proper job considering the case load that is faced on a daily basis. A look back at a Daily news story from April shows an underlying bit of frustration from some of the local members while working in an understaffed situation.

In the article from Friday’s paper, the staffing situation in the city is described as at the minimum level, leaving the local detachment with little extra resources to take a more pro-active approach to crime locally. So perhaps some of that frustration is still there some four months later.

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The city has kept a number of positions unfilled over the years as the financial situation of the city declined as did the population, the question many locals may want to ask is if public safety is one area of cost cutting that the city wishes to keep reductions in place for.

We suspect that Mr. Belas might be able to help with some background for their discussions.

LOCAL MAN IS TERRORIZED BY THIEVES
Seventy three year old can’t sleep for fear he’ll wake up to intruders
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Friday, August 17, 2007
Pages one and three

Prince Rupert resident Louie Belas has enough on his plate these days without having to worry about having his home broken into and vandalized whenever he leaves town.

The 73 year old has been the victim of several break-ins over the last few years on his property just outside of the City, and to this day police have been unable to solve his problem.

“I’m really struggling. Everything was going good until a few years ago, said Belas.

“I was in Vancouver for radiation treatment, and my house was robbed. They broke the lock, and all my guns disappeared, my jewellery and all kinds of other things. I reported it to the police and they said it was too late and they couldn’t find any fingerprints.”

In the more recent break-ins. Belas has had everything from gold necklaces and bracelets to some of his prized collective coins stolen, as well as his house turned upside down in acts of vandalism.

“We do have four files in the past, with Louie as the complainant of break and enters. One in ’99, two in 2003, and one for this year,” said Constable Starr of the Prince Rupert R.C.M.P.

“The one for this year, they’ve done quite a bit of work on it. They seized a bunch of exhibits, sent them to our forensic ident team, and unfortunately nothing was revealed. We have followed proper procedure for it, so no slacking was done. It was followed to the furthest extent, and it’s unfortunate we couldn’t go any further because there were no witnesses, and there was no forensic evidence to prove a suspect.”

Besides suffering from prostate cancer, Belas had had to undergo a quadruple by-pass, for which he recently received a pace-maker implant. Not to mention a hernia he had operated on last year, and another one which he says doesn’t hurt him enough to worry about right now.

He says he has a hard time sleeping at night now not only because of his physical health, but due to stress from worrying about what may happen.

“Of course my place is a mess, I’m alone, I can’t doe everything at the same time,” said Belas.

“Many times I forget event to take breakfast. Sometimes I don’t know what to do. The police they upset me so much. I’m so afraid, last night I only sleep for two hours. Thinking what the heck’s going to happen if some punks come at nighttime, break the door and beat me.

“I asked the police one time what happens if somebody kills me here?

“She said “Oh we gonna investigate,” I said ‘Well, if I’m dead, will you come please and kiss my ass?

What about prevention?

Belas has requested several times that police set up a short surveillance of his property for several hours after he has left in an attempt to catch a thief, but the R. C. M. P. have said that due to limited manpower, they can’t take any pre-emptive approach to problems such as this.

“It would be nice if we had enough manpower to do surveillance like that, but due to the low manpower we’re running at minimum. Everywhere else I’ve been to we haven’t gone before, we’ve always had to attend after something has happened,” said Starr.

“If he felt like something was going to happen, if he could stay home, or find some sort of better security system for his house, that would allow us to have a chance to try and catch them.

“Maybe better door locks, or good secure doors. Things like that help stop, so we think, people’s houses from being broken into.”

Louie Belas doesn’t know what to do anymore.

“Lately, I’m at the end of my rope,” he said with a tear in his eye. “I don’t want to do anything stupid. I’ve been looking after myself since I was 12 years old, but I don’t know if I can keep up with this.”

Anyone with information about the break-ins and vandalism of Mr. Belas’ home is asked to call the Prince Rupert RCMP at (250) 624-0700.

Inspector Ray is on his way

Having seen Prince Rupert’s bar crowd first hand, Inspector Ray Noble is now off to a new battle zone.

The Inspector in charge of the Rupert detachment of the RCMP is soon to take up new duties as part of a “start–up” mission in Afghanistan, designed to help stabilize life in that troubled country.

With Nobel's pending departure, as of yet, no details on a new Inspector for the North coast have been released.

The Daily news examined his plans in Thursday’s paper.

Inspector leaves on Noble mission
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Friday, August 10, 2007
Page one

Inspector Ray Noble of the Prince Rupert RCMP will soon be leaving the city for another job, one that will undoubtedly entail more danger than patrolling the streets of Prince Rupert.
"I was selected to be one of the RCMP representatives in Afghanistan as a 'start-up' mission, and we're the first contingent of people to go over under this particular banner," said Noble.
"Personally, it's a challenge of seeing a real need and having the ability to contribute in some small way to something that's a very good cause."

There were plans for Noble and the other officers that are part of the mission to be deployed already, however there were some logistical concerns that had to be addressed, and at this time, there is still some uncertainty about how their mission will unfold.

"The peacekeeping and policing role is part of the government's overall package to provide aid, life support, to developing infrastructure, and expanding the capabilities of the host countries," said Noble.

"And those missions are always done with the help and cooperation of other developed nations. I think in Afghanistan right now they're at 36 assisting countries involved in one aspect or another of rebuilding Afghanistan. It's a progressive, long term mission to help stabilize a country."

The R.C.M.P. has contributed members to two international missions since 1989, and approximately 2,100 peace officers to locations across the globe to assist with peacekeeping operations. In order to serve in this upcoming mission, Noble will have to say goodbye to friends and family for an entire year, something he knows will be a challenge in itself.

"It's a difficult transition to make, there's no question that there's some challenges with maintaining a relationship long distance. Also the fact that there's substantial security concerns, it adds some stress to the relationship, concerns for safety and the ability to communicate well," Noble said with regards to staying in touch with home.

"There's also the challenges in having changes of perspective.

"I'm anticipating traveling to Afghanistan will be, at some level, a life changing or altering experience, and when you come back you have to reconcile that with your personal life, and everybody around you that hasn't had the same experience."

As someone who feels a need to participate instead of just watching things happen, Noble has his own reasons for accepting the overseas mission.

"I have a real desire to understand and learn. Personally, one of the contradictions I have is that I really see a need for some help there to stabilize the country, and on the other hand I also have a little concern about watching one nation trying to impose it's will on another," he said.

"It's just one of those things that's hard to sit and watch the news and get a full understanding of, and I'm one of those people that has to get involved to see how it works, learn what I can from it, and hopefully that will allow me to make more of a difference and allow me to make a meaningful contribution."

A return to jail for local resident

Ronald Lawrence McKay's return to Prince Rupert wasn't as long as he might have thought it would be, released from prison back in January of this year his return to the city brought a bit of anxiety and a string of conditions.

As things seem to have turned out, those conditions plus some criminal activity would lead him back to jail, that after pleading guilty to charges of trafficking cocaine in the city.

The Monday Daily News, had the details and the results of the path chosen by Mr. McKay upon his return to the Northwest.

RONALD McKAY RETURNING TO JAIL
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Monday, July 16, 2007
Page three

Prince Rupert resident Ronald Lawrence McKay was arrested and has pleaded guilty July 12 to charges of trafficking cocaine.

McKay has been residing in Prince Rupert since his Jan. 9 release from prison after he served seven years for sexual assault with a weapon.

After what police describe as an "-in-depth investigation" that was ongoing since the beginning of June, McKay was arrested and charged with trafficking on Wed., July 11.

He pleaded guilty to the trafficking charge as well as four counts of breach of recognizance, which were initiated earlier this year.

The charges of breaching his recognizance stem from previous incidents that were in violation of his release conditions, including consumption of alcohol, being in a licenced establishment, and failure to report to the RCMP as required.

McKay was sentenced to 134 days in jail, which will begin immediately at the Prince George Correction Centre.

Prince Rupert ERT unit resolves Morricetown incident

The Prince Rupert RCMP Emergency Response Team was sent to Moricetown early this morning, in order to make an arrest of a suspect in an incident that goes back almost two weeks.
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At the time, Highway 16 was closed near Moricetown after an alleged incident between an RCMP officer and local resident, at the time the resident had disappeared onto his property and the situation went unresolved until this morning. In the early hours of today, the ERT unit executed a warrant and provided for the arrest of the 65 year old Moricetown man, who is now in custody and facing a number of charges including: Possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace, Obstruction of Justice, Assault of a Police Officer and Uttering Threats.

The Opinion 250 website has a few details on the unusual situation and the participation of the Rupert RCMP's unit in its resolution.

Highway Closing Details Now Public
By 250 News
Monday, July 09, 2007 03:56 PM

The RCMP are just now releasing details on the incident nearly two weeks ago, which resulted in Highway 16 near Moricetown being shut down for a few hours.

In a release from "E" Division Headquarters, Sergeant Pierre Lemaitre says a 65 year old Moricetown man is in custody following the execution of a warrant near Moricetown early this morning.

Members of the Prince Rupert Emergency Response Team attended the property of 65 year old Norman RENAUD at approximately 7:30 this morning with an arrest warrant for Mr. Renaud issued after the alleged assault of an RCMP member on June 26, 2007.

It is alleged that following a routine traffic check, there was an altercation between a uniformed police officer and the accused punched the officer in the head.

"The accused then threatened to kill the officer and walked back into his wooded property. He returned a short time later to the location of the assault armed with a firearm and upon being observed by responding members again walked back into the woods on his property."

The release continues ...

"Given the nature of the assault and possibility of the discharge of firearms, police set up a response team to assess the risk factors. Until a safety assessment could be done, Highway 16 was temporarily closed while the investigation continued. After some time, and some information gathering, RCMP officers strategically took extraprecautions to avoid injury or death to all parties. The parties being the suspect, the public, and the police officers themselves.
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"While Opinion250 was among the members of the media calling police for details of the incident, Lemaitre says the information was not released "due to safety concerns we could not discuss the nature of the investigation."

Renaud was taken into custody without incident outside his residence by the members of the Prince Rupert Emergency Response Team and is now facing 4 counts including: Possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace, Obstruction of Justice, Assault of a Police Officer and Uttering Threats.

The investigation is continuing and police are in the process of executing a search warrant on Mr. Renaud’s property.

Additional charges are possible.

RCMP investigating Gaming Centre fires

The RCMP issued a press release on Tuesday asking for the assistance of the community in its investigation in fires set early Monday morning at the site of Prince Ruperts new Gaming Centre on 1st Avenue West.

Suspicious fire damages local building
July 2nd, 2007, Prince Rupert, BC-

At approximately 3:00 am, Monday, July 2nd, the Prince Rupert Fire Department was called to a fire in the 200 block of 1st Ave West, at the construction site of the new Casino. The fire was quickly extinguished by Fire Fighters, limiting the damage that was caused to the building.

The RCMP were contacted to investigate the source of the fire. With assistance from the Prince Rupert Fire Department, an RCMP investigation has been determined that the fire was intentionally set.

RCMP investigators have seized evidence to examine it for fingerprints.

Possible arsons are taken very seriously by police, due to the high potential for serious property damage and risk to the safety of the public. Police are asking for the public's assistance in locating the suspect(s) in this investigation.

Anyone that may have seen or heard anything suspicious in the area is asked to contact Cst Richards of the Prince Rupert RCMP at 627-0700.

People wanting to remain anonymous can call Crimestoppers at 627-8477.
Crimestoppers does not require that you leave your name and you may be eligible for a cash reward.
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Steve Richards, Cst.Prince Rupert Media Relations / Community Policing
100 6th Ave WEstPrince Rupert, BC V8J 3Z3
Phone: (250)627-0764
Fax: (250)627-3013
Email: media.webmaster@rcmp-gr-.gc.ca

Is the water getting hot for local councillor?

CFTK TV in Terrace has posted a story, that seems to finally add some substance to the wild rumours travelling around town this week, of a brawl at the Seafest Gardens on Saturday night.

The incident, which CFTK reports involved local Prince Rupert City Councillor Tony Briglio, has yet to result in legal charges from the local detachment of the RCMP, nor the kind of publicity that a high profile incident as this normally would.

Until now, the story had been the domain of talkers at the numerous city coffee shops and its on line community for the last four to five days, with each successive telling becoming more intense than the last.

It will be interesting to see what becomes of the situation, whether there will be charges laid and what, if any, fall out from the incident may have on the councillors political career.

Below from the CFTK website, is the story that has become story one in the community this week.

Trouble for Rupert councillor
CFTK TV
Wednesday, June 13, 2007

A Prince Rupert City Councillor could be in hot water after a beer garden brawl at Seafest over the weekend.

Witnesses say Tony Briglio was involved in a fracas and taken away by the RCMP where he was kept in custody for a period of time.

A security guard says he asked the Councillor to leave the beer gardens and he was at first cooperative, but when Briglio returned there was an altercation and police were called. The Security guard says he was bitten on his hand.

Police are not commenting or saying if charges will be laid in connection to the incident.

Undercover traffic cops part of increased enforcement in town

The RCMP are using some rather unusual methods to crack down on traffic infractions in Prince Rupert, including the use of plain clothes officers acting as spotters for marked cruisers further down the road. That and other methods being put into use were examined in Tuesday’s Daily News.

POLICE WARN DRIVERS ‘WE’RE WATCHING’
Officers employing various methods to catch infractions
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Page three

Prince Rupert’s Integrated Road Safety Unit (IRSU) is using some new and innovative enforcement methods to keep drivers and pedestrians safe.

In late May, IRSU, known as the traffic division, stationed a plain clothes officer downtown with a radio to observe traffic violations, such as drivers not yielding to pedestrians and people not wearing seatbelts.

The violation and vehicle descriptions were then radioed to officers waiting at a major intersection where drivers were pulled over.

“The techniques are basically anything they can come up with,” said Const. Steve Richards, media relations officer for the Prince Rupert RCMP.

“Different detachments do what works for them”

Corporal Phil Mager, Integrated Road Safety Unit, said that even though the officers handing out the tickets have not seen the violation, they can issue the ticket based on their partner’s information.

“Many people are still not buckling up and complying with the Motor Vehicle Act,” he said.

Another problem area that has been identified is pedestrian safety, not just driver behavior.

“If we see pedestrians doing something unsafe, we will speak with them as well,” said Mager.

Drivers are reminded to follow some very important key points: drive at a safe speed; don’t follow to closely; don’t run red or yellow lights; watch for and stop for pedestrians; never drink and drive; and always buckle up and ensure all passengers do the same.

The cost of violating several sections of the Motor Vehicle Act have also increased. As of Mon., May 14, seatbelt fines (failing to wear a seatbelt, allowing a passenger without a seatbelt etc,) increase from $138 to $167. Operating a vehicle with too many persons (more people than seatbelts) will get the driver a fine of $311.

RCMP members responded to 580 traffic incidents in 2006, up six per cent from the previous year. That number mostly comprised collisions, both minor and major, but includes miscellaneous traffic calls not covered as a moving or non-moving violation.

Also, 104 criminal code traffic charges were laid in 2006, up for 87 in 2005. The vast majority of these were for Impaired Driving or Refusal to Provide a Breath Sample, but they also included Leaving the Scene of an Accident, Dangerous Driving and Driving while Prohibited.

Dangerous offender arrested in local establishment

A high profile past offender, was arrested in breach of terms of his probation last week, after breaking three conditions of his court ordered conditions.

The arrival of Ronald Lawrence MCKAY in Prince Rupert a number of months ago, presented a rare public warning to be issued by the RCMP about his past offences and found the community to be advised to be aware of his travels during the day.

On May 16th he was re-arrested in a local establishment on Third Avenue that serves liquor, in violation of one of the conditions of his probation. He appeared in court and was subsequently released by the courts on the same day.

As a continuation of their public warning, the local RCMP detachment issued the following press release upon his arrest.

Dangerous Offender Arrested by Police

May 16th, 2007, Prince Rupert, BC

In the very early morning hours of May 15th, the Prince Rupert RCMP arrested Ronald MCKAY inside a licensed establishment in the 1000 block of 3rd Ave West. MCKAY was charged with 3 counts of breaching his court ordered conditions. MCKAY was breaching his curfew, was in an establishment that serves liquor as it's primary business, contrary to his conditions, and was in possession of a controlled substance.

MCKAY appeared in Prince Rupert Provincial Court that day and was released.

Background: Ronald Lawrence MCKAY was released from Mountain Federal Corrections Institution on January 12th, 2007. MCKAY served a sentence for three charges including Assault, Assault with a Weapon, and Sexual Assault with a Weapon.

Ronald Lawrence MCKAY is considered Highly Dangerous to the Public. There is a high risk that MCKAY will re-offend violently against a female including a sexual assault. MCKAY’s has an extensive criminal history that includes violent sexual offences and weapons related offences.

January 14th, members of the Prince Rupert RCMP arrested Ronald Lawrence MCKAY for breaching the conditions of his release. MCKAY appeared in Prince Rupert Provincial Court, charged with three counts of Breach of Recognizance. He was released by the court.

MCKAY is subject to many court ordered conditions including:

- Not to possess, carry, or own any weapons including knives

- Not to consume or possess any alcohol or controlled substances

- Not to attend any licensed premise or establishment where alcohol is the primary commodity for sale

- Not to be outside his residence between 11:00pm and 6:00am

Should you note any suspicious behavior including, but not limited to a breach of these conditions, please contact the Prince Rupert RCMP Detachment at (250)624-2136.

Steve Richards, Cst.Prince Rupert Media Relations / Community Policing

100 6th Ave WestPrince Rupert, BC V8J 3Z3

Phone: (250)627-0764

Fax: (250)627-3013

Email: media.webmaster@rcmp-gr-.gc.ca

RCMP make a drug arrest and release more DUI names

The RCMP released more names in their efforts to reduce the amount of DUI infractions in the city, a policy which began in March and continued this month as eleven more area motorists made their appearance in court.

The local detachment also released details of a recent drug arrest in the city, which took place on the west side of the city in the first week of the month.

May 11

Many More Charged for Impaired Driving in Prince Rupert
May 10th, 2007, Prince Rupert BC –

Since the last release of names, March 20th 2007, 11 more people have appeared in Prince Rupert Provincial court, charged with Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle.

Recently charged are:
27 year old Jason Eleuterio of Prince Rupert
37 year old Juliius Dileta of Prince Rupert
36 year old Thomas Robinson of Vancouver
71 year old Jerry Brown of Prince Rupert
43 year old Norman Barker of Prince Rupert
47 year old James Chubey of Prince Rupert
25 year old Tyler Nelson of Prince Rupert
42 year old Dwayne Sampson of Prince Rupert
56 year old Paul Lebedick of Prince Rupert
19 year old Alessandra Krause of Prince Rupert

A 15 year old resident of Prince Rupert was also charged for Impaired Driving but cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The Prince Rupert RCMP remains committed to informing the public about Impaired Drivers in our community. We hope that increased public awareness and pressure will help us reduce the incidents of impaired driving in our community.

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Steve Richards, Cst.Prince Rupert Media Relations / Community Policing100 6th Ave WEstPrince Rupert, BC V8J 3Z3Phone: (250)627-0764Fax: (250)627-3013Email: media.webmaster@rcmp-gr-.gc.ca

May 10

19 year old arrested, cocaine seized

On May 2nd, 2007, Prince Rupert BC, members of the Prince Rupert RCMP executed a search warrant at a residence in the 1400 block of Park Avenue. The search warrant was issued under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, authorizing the police to secure the residence and search it for cocaine. Three persons were located inside the residence including a 19 year old male who was living inside the residence along with a mother and her child.

The Ministry of Children and Families was contacted to assist with the mother and child. A search of the residence located a quantity of cocaine and the 19 year old male was released on a Promise to Appear for Possession of Cocaine for the Purpose of Trafficking. The male was placed on conditions and is scheduled to appear in Prince Rupert Provincial Court on June 25th, 2007.

The execution of this search warrant was largely due to the assistance of community members and the information they provided. If anyone has any information of assistance to the police regarding this or any other investigation please contact Cpl. Mike Traas of the Prince Rupert General Investigation Section at (250)624-0700 or call Crime Stoppers at 627-8477. Crimestoppers does not require that you give name and you may be eligable for a cash reward. For/ (M.J. TRAAS) Cpl. NCO i/c GIS / Drugs Prince Rupert RCMP

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Steve Richards, Cst.Prince Rupert Media Relations / Community Policing100 6th Ave WEstPrince Rupert, BC V8J 3Z3Phone: (250)627-0764Fax: (250)627-3013Email: media.webmaster@rcmp-gr-.gc.ca

RCMP make two drug arrests in city

The RCMP made two seperate drug arrests last week in the city, with both investigations taking place on the east side of the city.

In their usual media release upon these events, the RCMP provided the details on the arrests and some background information on the process involved in operations such as these. It was a more extensive briefing than usual, providing more than the usual dry details of an arrest and listing of the charges pending.

Perhaps spurred on by frustration over local concerns over the drug trade in the city, the media release seemed to address some of the questions that the public frequently has over the enforcement of drug laws and the process involved in making those arrests.

Two Local Drug Dealers Shutdown by the RCMP

April 20, 2007

Members of the Prince Rupert RCMP executed search warrants on two local drug traffickers last week. On Wednesday, the 11th of April, a warrant was executed on a residence in the 800 block of 6th Ave East. An ounce of cocaine was seized from the 28 year old male resident. Charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking are being recommended by police.

The following night, Thursday the 12th of April, members executed a search warrant on a residence in the 500 block of 8th Ave East. Police seized nearly a pound of marihuana and arrested the 29 year old resident. Charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking are also being recommended against that individual.

While these charges represent only two individuals, thousands of dollars worth of illegal drugs were taken off of Prince Rupert's streets in each of these two cases. Your local RCMP detachment understands that many of our citizens can sometimes grow impatient, waiting for action to be taken on what they see as flagrant drug activity in their neighborhood. We ask that you keep in mind that these investigations take time. One of these latest investigations was begun back in October of last year.

Certainly, shutting down the street level traffickers is important. It is also important that we attempt to follow these dealers back to the source. Being able to track the supply back up the chain helps us to go after the larger suppliers. We must also ensure that our investigations will stand up to scrutiny when tested in the courts. It is important to get these drugs off the streets but equally important to provide the Crown with a solid case on which to prosecute to offenders.

These files also require a substantial amount of manpower to investigate. Many members are required to investigate, conduct surveillance, and meet the grounds required to obtain a search warrant. During the execution of a search warrant, more are required to ensure the safety of the public, the members involved, and the occupants of the residence being searched. Operating eight officers short of what our detachment strength should be, means it can be sometimes challenging to keep enough members on shift to respond to calls and free up members to investigate these files. At the municipal detachment level, responding to calls for service must always take precedence. That means that, sometimes, these investigations take longer than we would like.

One of the most important investigative elements to drug investigations is information. Whether these tips comes from Crimestoppers, our complaints line, or other police sources, we need information to further these investigations. The more detailed the information we receive, the better the likelihood that we'll shut down the drug dealers in your neighborhood.

Anyone with information on these or any other crimes are asked to contact the Prince Rupert RCMP or Crimestoppers at 627-8477. Crimestoppers does not require that you leave your name and you may be eligible for a cash reward.

Steve Richards, Cst.Prince Rupert Media Relations / Community Policing

100 6th Ave West Prince Rupert, BC V8J 3Z3

Phone: (250)627-0764

Fax: (250)627-3013

mail: media.webmaster@rcmp-gr-.gc.ca

Local RCMP would like your attention April - June 2007

We will archive the press releases and information provided from our local detachment every three months, this session provides information from April through to June 2007.

So we'll provide a link to the site through our portal, you will find it permanently placed on the right hand side column in our Podunk Service Centre. All of the information comes from the RCMP's BC Regional website.

May 21

Dangerous Offender Arrested by Police
May 16th, 2007, Prince Rupert, BC

In the very early morning hours of May 15th, the Prince Rupert RCMP arrested Ronald MCKAY inside a licensed establishment in the 1000 block of 3rd Ave West. MCKAY was charged with 3 counts of breaching his court ordered conditions. MCKAY was breaching his curfew, was in an establishment that serves liquor as it's primary business, contrary to his conditions, and was in possession of a controlled substance.

MCKAY appeared in Prince Rupert Provincial Court that day and was released.
Background: Ronald Lawrence MCKAY was released from Mountain Federal Corrections Institution on January 12th, 2007. MCKAY served a sentence for three charges including Assault, Assault with a Weapon, and Sexual Assault with a Weapon.

Ronald Lawrence MCKAY is considered Highly Dangerous to the Public. There is a high risk that MCKAY will re-offend violently against a female including a sexual assault. MCKAY’s has an extensive criminal history that includes violent sexual offences and weapons related offences.
January 14th, members of the Prince Rupert RCMP arrested Ronald Lawrence MCKAY for breaching the conditions of his release. MCKAY appeared in Prince Rupert Provincial Court, charged with three counts of Breach of Recognizance. He was released by the court.

MCKAY is subject to many court ordered conditions including:
- Not to possess, carry, or own any weapons including knives
- Not to consume or possess any alcohol or controlled substances
- Not to attend any licensed premise or establishment where alcohol is the primary commodity for sale
- Not to be outside his residence between 11:00pm and 6:00am

Should you note any suspicious behavior including, but not limited to a breach of these conditions, please contact the Prince Rupert RCMP Detachment at (250)624-2136.

Steve Richards, Cst.Prince Rupert Media Relations / Community Policing
100 6th Ave WestPrince Rupert, BC V8J 3Z3
Phone: (250)627-0764
Fax: (250)627-3013
Email: media.webmaster@rcmp-gr-.gc.ca

May 11

Many More Charged for Impaired Driving in Prince Rupert
May 10th, 2007, Prince Rupert BC -

Since the last release of names, March 20th 2007, 11 more people have appeared in Prince Rupert Provincial court, charged with Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle.

Recently charged are:

27 year old Jason Eleuterio of Prince Rupert
37 year old Juliius Dileta of Prince Rupert
36 year old Thomas Robinson of Vancouver
71 year old Jerry Brown of Prince Rupert
43 year old Norman Barker of Prince Rupert
47 year old James Chubey of Prince Rupert
25 year old Tyler Nelson of Prince Rupert
42 year old Dwayne Sampson of Prince Rupert
56 year old Paul Lebedick of Prince Rupert
19 year old Alessandra Krause of Prince Rupert

A 15 year old resident of Prince Rupert was also charged for Impaired Driving but cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The Prince Rupert RCMP remains committed to informing the public about Impaired Drivers in our community. We hope that increased public awareness and pressure will help us reduce the incidents of impaired driving in our community.

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Steve Richards, Cst.Prince Rupert Media Relations / Community Policing
100 6th Ave WEstPrince Rupert, BC V8J 3Z3
Phone: (250)627-0764Fax: (250)627-3013
Email: media.webmaster@rcmp-gr-.gc.ca

May 10

19 year old arrested, cocaine seized

On May 2nd, 2007, Prince Rupert BC, members of the Prince Rupert RCMP executed a search warrant at a residence in the 1400 block of Park Avenue. The search warrant was issued under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, authorizing the police to secure the residence and search it for cocaine. Three persons were located inside the residence including a 19 year old male who was living inside the residence along with a mother and her child.

The Ministry of Children and Families was contacted to assist with the mother and child. A search of the residence located a quantity of cocaine and the 19 year old male was released on a Promise to Appear for Possession of Cocaine for the Purpose of Trafficking. The male was placed on conditions and is scheduled to appear in Prince Rupert Provincial Court on June 25th, 2007.

The execution of this search warrant was largely due to the assistance of community members and the information they provided. If anyone has any information of assistance to the police regarding this or any other investigation please contact Cpl. Mike Traas of the Prince Rupert General Investigation Section at (250)624-0700 or call Crime Stoppers at 627-8477. Crimestoppers does not require that you give name and you may be eligable for a cash reward. For/ (M.J. TRAAS) Cpl. NCO i/c GIS / Drugs Prince Rupert RCMP

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-->Steve Richards, Cst.Prince Rupert Media Relations / Community Policing
100 6th Ave WEstPrince Rupert, BC V8J 3Z3
Phone: (250)627-0764Fax: (250)627-3013
Email: media.webmaster@rcmp-gr-.gc.ca

April 20

Two Local Drug Dealers Shutdown by the RCMP

Members of the Prince Rupert RCMP executed search warrants on two local drug traffickers last week. On Wednesday, the 11th of April, a warrant was executed on a residence in the 800 block of 6th Ave East. An ounce of cocaine was seized from the 28 year old male resident.
Charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking are being recommended by police.

The following night, Thursday the 12th of April, members executed a search warrant on a residence in the 500 block of 8th Ave East. Police seized nearly a pound of marihuana and arrested the 29 year old resident. Charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking are also being recommended against that individual.

While these charges represent only two individuals, thousands of dollars worth of illegal drugs were taken off of Prince Rupert's streets in each of these two cases. Your local RCMP detachment understands that many of our citizens can sometimes grow impatient, waiting for action to be taken on what they see as flagrant drug activity in their neighborhood. We ask that you keep in mind that these investigations take time. One of these latest investigations was begun back in October of last year.

Certainly, shutting down the street level traffickers is important. It is also important that we attempt to follow these dealers back to the source. Being able to track the supply back up the chain helps us to go after the larger suppliers. We must also ensure that our investigations will stand up to scrutiny when tested in the courts. It is important to get these drugs off the streets but equally important to provide the Crown with a solid case on which to prosecute to offenders.

These files also require a substantial amount of manpower to investigate. Many members are required to investigate, conduct surveillance, and meet the grounds required to obtain a search warrant. During the execution of a search warrant, more are required to ensure the safety of the public, the members involved, and the occupants of the residence being searched. Operating eight officers short of what our detachment strength should be, means it can be sometimes challenging to keep enough members on shift to respond to calls and free up members to investigate these files. At the municipal detachment level, responding to calls for service must always take precedence. That means that, sometimes, these investigations take longer than we would like.

One of the most important investigative elements to drug investigations is information. Whether these tips comes from Crimestoppers, our complaints line, or other police sources, we need information to further these investigations. The more detailed the information we receive, the better the likelihood that we'll shut down the drug dealers in your neighborhood.

Anyone with information on these or any other crimes are asked to contact the Prince Rupert RCMP or Crimestoppers at 627-8477. Crimestoppers does not require that you leave your name and you may be eligible for a cash reward.

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Steve Richards, Cst.Prince Rupert Media Relations / Community Policing
100 6th Ave WEstPrince Rupert, BC V8J 3Z3
Phone: (250)627-0764
Fax: (250)627-3013
Email: media.webmaster@rcmp-gr-.gc.ca

April 2

Police Seize One Kilo of Cocaine

On Sunday April 1st, 2007 members of the Prince Rupert North District Drug Section arrested a 31 year old male as he disembarked from a Greyhound bus that just arrived in Prince Rupert.

A search of the individual resulted in the seizure of a kilogram of cocaine. The Prince Rupert resident was released from custody and a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking in a controlled substance is pending.

The Prince Rupert RCMP is asking each and every citizen to do their part in ensuring safe communities by reporting any information regarding drug trafficking to their local RCMP detachment or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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Jagdev Uppal, Cst.
Border Integrity Program
45 Charlie Currie Road
Prince Rupert, BC V8J 4B7
Phone: (250) 627-3137
Fax: (250) 627-3163
Email: media.webmaster@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

RCMP Information Releases

An archive of the Information released provided by the RCMP on matters of locacl concern.

July--September 2007
April--June 2007
January-March 2007

Hop off the bus, hop into jail!

The Prince Rupert RCMP North District Drug Section made April Fools Day a memorable one for one local resident. A thirty one year old male had just arrived in Prince Rupert aboard the Greyhound bus when the Mounties stepped in to take custody of a kilogram of cocaine that was allegedly found in his possession.

Charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking in a controlled substance were laid against the 31 year old resident; his name has not been released due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, as the RCMP look further into the case more arrests could possibly follow.

The available details were released to the public on Monday afternoon.

Police Seize One Kilo of Cocaine

On Sunday April 1st, 2007 members of the Prince Rupert North District Drug Section arrested a 31 year old male as he disembarked from a Greyhound bus that just arrived in Prince Rupert. A search of the individual resulted in the seizure of a kilogram of cocaine.

The Prince Rupert resident was released from custody and a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking in a controlled substance is pending.

The Prince Rupert RCMP is asking each and every citizen to do their part in ensuring safe communities by reporting any information regarding drug trafficking to their local RCMP detachment or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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Jagdev Uppal, Cst.

Border Integrity Program

45 Charlie Currie Road

Prince Rupert, BC V8J 4B7

Phone: (250) 627-3137

Fax: (250) 627-3163

Email: media.webmaster@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Call of the Moose, results in call from superiors for local Inspector in charge

The Vancouver Province is reporting that the local Inspector in charge of the Prince Rupert detachment of the RCMP is in hot water with his superiors over a recent hunting trip to the Yukon.

RCMP BOSS IN HOT WATER OVER MOOSE
The Vancouver Province
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Page A4

An RCMP Inspector in charge of the Prince Rupert detachment has been fined and disciplined by the force for failing to follow regulations while hunting moose in the Yukon.

Insp. Ray Noble improperly tagged a moose he had shot with a friend’s tag. He was fined $1,600 and barred from hunting in the Yukon area for an undisclosed period.

RCMP spokesman Staff-Sgt. John Ward said Noble was also disciplined. He would not discuss the nature of the discipline but said Noble was not removed from active duty.