FRIDAY
APRIL 25, 2014
< Digging for those bones The lost cemetery of Cranbrook | Page 7
Legs of Bronze in Edmonton > East Kootenay U13’s at Alberta Provincials | Page 8
1
Like Us
$ 10
TownsmanBulletin
INCLUDES G.S.T.
Follow Us @crantownsman
Vol. 63, Issue 79
Proudly serving Cranbrook and area since 1951
www.dailytownsman.com
BARRY COULTER PHOTO (LEFT)/ARNE PETRYSHEN PHOTO (RIGHT)
At left: Cranbrook’s 2013 Citizen of the Year Ken Bridge of Cranbrook is pictured violently resisting arrest and getting taken down by the long arm of the law, Aux. Const. R. McGee and Cpl. Barry Graham of the Cranbrook RCMP. Just kidding, folks! Many of Cranbrook’s local celebrities and business owners found themselves locked up as a part of MADD Kimberley/Cranbrook’s campaign to raise funds for its programs. Once picked up by officers at their place of business or arrested on the spot, the celebs had to raise a certain amount of money to bail themselves out. Katryna Sigurdson, MADD Kimberley and Cranbrook community leader, said the goal for the event was to raise $2,500. Of that Kenny Bridge, from Bridge Interiors, raised the notable sum of $1,110. Pictured at right: Radio personalities Derek Kortschaga, JJ Johanson of Bears Eatery in Kimberley and Steve Mercandelli of Cranbrook Dodge were among others who spent time locked up.
Couple pleads guilty to home invasions
Megan Sands sentenced to five years, Terrence Allan sentenced to eight in Cranbrook Criminal Court on Thursday SALLY MACDONALD Townsman Staff
A husband and wife sentenced Thursday for two Cranbrook home invasions told the court they did it so they could afford to buy their daughter Christmas gifts. Megan Wynter Sands, 28, and Terrence Albert Allan, 25, pleaded guilty this week in Cranbrook Provincial Court for carrying out two home invasions here last December. They are two of four people charged in connection with those incidents. The co-accused are Andrew Monnette and Jay Hills. Both men are yet to enter pleas in the case.
As a result, the circumstances of the home invasions can’t be published as it may interfere with a fair trial for the co-accused. The home invasions occurred on December 18 and 26, 2013. On Thursday, April 24, Sands pleaded guilty to six charges including robbery with a weapon, disguising her face with the intent to commit an offense, and break and enter with the use of a firearm. Both Crown prosecutor Lianna Swanson and defense lawyer Rick Strahl agreed that a five year sentence would be appropriate. “These were horrific cases,” Swanson told Judge Grant Sheard. “The sanctity of these
two homes was invaded. Somebody’s worst fear is to have someone burst into their home with a firearm.” Strahl told the court that the couple, married just one month before the crimes were committed, lost custody of Sands’ youngest daughter, who is six years old, in October 2013. The child was taken into the custody of the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Strahl said the couple ultimately decided to take part in the home invasions because money was tight and they wanted to be able to give gifts to the girl for Christmas.
See TWO, Page 5
Calling the corps of ‘04 Grad class holding 10th anniversary reunion ARNE PE TRYSHEN Townsman Staff
Mount Baker Secondary’s class of 2004 is approaching 10 years since its graduation and for many that means it’s time for a reunion. A banquet dinner has been planned for June 21, the only stipulation being that tickets for the event need to be sold by April 30. That leaves less than a week to go. Logan Volkers, a member of the class and organizer of the event, said the reception has been good. “People overall have been really positive about the event,” Volkers said. “People that I talk to, they’re super stoked about it, they really want to go. They’re taking the time off work. The weird thing is just getting people to put their money in to buy a ticket.” They are hoping to raise $2,000, which Volkers said was enough to have a buffet and rent out the Prestige
and make that all happen. That amounts to 50 tickets at $40 each. Volkers said the very first day they sold a bunch a tickets, but then things slowed down for a few weeks. He is expecting and hoping for a big rush for tickets in the last leg. It’s a similar pattern to what he saw three years ago when he ran the graduation for the engineering student society at UVIC. “It was the same thing,” he said. “It was within the last day that we sold 80 per cent of our tickets.” He said they looked at what had happened at other graduating classes and statistically 20 per cent of the class will come back for the reunion. So they budgeted for 50 people. Volkers moved to Victoria and hasn’t been back to Cranbrook in a few years.
See CLASS , Page 3