Times
Bird is the Word
The Langley
On the Block page 24
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Crown wants 5-6 years for prolific offender
City elects acting mayor
WHAT’S YOUR ANGLE?
VIKKI HOPES Black Press
BRENDA ANDERSON
Prolific offender Dave Yaroslawsky had accumulated so much stolen property in early 2012 that he had rented a storage locker in Aldergrove to stash it. When police arrested him in Langley that March, he had also stored numerous items in his vehicle and in the Langley motel room where he was hiding out. For that, Yaroslawksy deserves a jail term of five to six years, Crown counsel Jas Gahunia recommended Wednesday in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster during the start of Yaroslawsky’s sentencing hearing. The Surrey man, 31, previously pleaded guilty to 32 counts related to items stolen mainly from homes in Abbotsford, Surrey, Langley, Hope and Chilliwack in early 2012. These offences included numerous counts of possession of stolen property, using a stolen credit card, possessing stolen ID, and two weapons charges. Yaroslawsky was originally charged with almost 60 offences, but did not plead guilty to any of the multiple breakand-enter counts he faced, claiming he was a “fence” for the stolen property and was not involved in the break-ins. Gahunia detailed a long list of residences that experienced break-ins and which had items stolen that were later found in Yaroslawsky’s possession. These objects included cameras, computers, iPods, TVs and other electronics; car and house keys; jewelry; cash; prescription drugs; and various forms of ID, including passports, Care Cards, social insurance cards, and credit cards. One of the break-ins involved a Fido store in Surrey in which two men stole $500 cash, cellphones and SIM cards. Three guns were also pilfered in two separate thefts — one from a vehicle and the other from a home. In several of the break-ins, the suspects urinated on the floors and furniture.
The City of Langley has a new acting mayor. Councillor Ted Schaffer, who ran unopposed for the position on Wednesday night, will carry out the role for the next 16 months. “It’s my pleasure to serve as acting mayor and I appreciate my colleagues’ confidence,” said Schaffer, following the vote, which was taken during a special meeting on July 31. Schaffer fills the position vacated by Mayor Peter Fassbender, who took an unpaid leave of absence after being elected last May to serve as the Liberal MLA for Surrey-Fleetwood. Fassbender chaired his last meeting in late June. Since then, deputy mayor Gayle Martin had been filling the role. Council opted not to hold a byelection following Fassbender’s departure. The former mayor will officially resign on Jan. 2, 2014, but Schaffer will carry on serving in an “acting” capacity until the next municipal election in November, 2014. Schaffer said on Thursday that he is uncertain whether he will then run for the position. “It’s premature right now,” he said. “I’m just happy to serve on council and fulfill these duties right now that Peter (Fassbender) did.
Times Reporter
Miranda GATHERCOLE/Langley Times
Cooper Bourque-Laidlaw, 4, holds a rod and reel for the very first time on the shores of the Fraser River at Derby Reach Regional Park during a Learn to Fish event on July 27. Hosted by Metro Vancouver and the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, kids ages 5-15 were able to learn about fish and how to fish.
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