Merritt Herald, October 30, 2012

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS

Happy Halloween

Man in coma, missing eye after beating Police say the assault victim owed money By Phillip Woolgar THE HERALD

newsroom@merrittherald.com

LOVE AT FIRST FRIGHT The Lower Nicola Community Hall was hopping Saturday night during a Halloween party. DJ John Allison supplied the tunes, as everyone from monsters to princesses laid down some spooky moves on the dance floor, including this viking who had a few moves of his own. Phillip Woolgar/Herald

Mother defends bullied students By Emily Wessel THE HERALD

reporter@merrittherald.com

A Merritt mother is calling for area parents and their kids to speak up to school officials about bullying incidents. The woman, who didn’t want to be named because it might identify her daughter, said her child was jumped from behind in a hallway at Merritt Secondary School. She said the alleged bully pushed her daughter’s friend, at which point her daughter spoke up to

‘Why did it take that long to get to that with all the kids saying they are bullied by her?’ —MOTHER OF BULLIED STUDENT defend the other girl. The woman said that while her daughter was walking away, the girl pulled her hair and began punching her. The woman said she went to MSS immediately after she heard about the incident through a text message from her daughter, and the school

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suspended the girl for five days. “The way they handled it when I went in there was appropriate,” the woman said. “They gave her a five-day suspension right away. I was happy with the outcome, but why did it take that long to get to that with all the kids saying they are bullied by

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is nervous about entering school alone — partially because the girl’s sister is also at MSS. Brent Bowden, a counsellor at MSS, said it’s important for students to trust an adult at school so they feel comfortable going to them about the issue. “I think there’s always a risk students take in coming to see us, in their minds, because they’re not sure their anonymity is going to be preserved,” Bowden said.

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her?” MSS Principal Bill Lawrence said the biggest challenge the school faces in cracking down on bullying is getting students to speak out. “When we get the information that something’s happening, we act on it,” Lawrence said. “We always act on it. The big struggle for us is getting the information. There’s this whole idea there might be retribution.” Though the alleged bully is suspended, the woman said her daughter

A father and son are in custody for allegedly beating a man into a coma — he also lost an eye. Merritt RCMP arrested a local man last Tuesday, 26-year-old Ron Karlson Jr., for aggravated assault. His father, 48-year-old Ron Karlson Sr., was arrested for uttering threats in July at the victim, who police say owed money to the accused men. Karlson Sr. is also charged with obstruction of justice for threatening witnesses. Police and ambulance responded to the alleged assault on Oct. 10 at about 9:40 p.m. when they found the 51-year-old victim unconscious. His face was severely beaten. The man remained in a coma at Kamloops ICU at press time Monday. He is undergoing facial reconstructive surgery and doctors anticipate brain damage, Const. Tracy Dunsmore said in a release. The men’s first appearances in Kamloops provincial court was originally scheduled for last Wednesday, but was bumped to yesterday (Monday). The results of the appearances weren’t available by press time. The Merritt RCMP wasn’t available for further comment. Police are still investigating and aks anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

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