Tuesday October 14, 2014 (Vol. 39 No. 82)
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Policing honours: South Surrey resident RCMP Cpl. Allison Douglas was recognized Thursday at the 2014 Police Officer of the Year Awards hosted by the Surrey Board of Trade. i see page 11
Lack of evidence cited by defence counsel on outstanding charges against Janet Olson
Guilty plea to 4 of 38 dog-theft charges Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
Janet Olson
A South Surrey woman who was to go to trial next month on dozens of dog-theft related charges will instead go straight to sentencing, after entering guilty pleas to a handful of charges last week in Surrey Provincial Court. Janet Olson, 60, appeared before Judge James Sutherland on Oct. 8.
“She entered some pleas and the matter was adjourned… till Jan. 2,” prosecutor Michelle Wray confirmed. Olson had been scheduled to be tried on the charges in B.C. Supreme Court starting next month. Twenty days had been set aside for the proceedings. Just one day has been reserved for sentencing submissions. Defence counsel Craig Sicotte said
Thursday the change of direction was rooted in a lack of hard evidence. “The bottom line is the Crown realized that they couldn’t prove all the rest of them,” Sicotte told Peace Arch News. “They were relying on what’s called similar-fact evidence… to prove it was her that did a bunch of the other ones.” Olson – who is a founder of A Better Life Dog Rescue – was one of two
women arrested in November 2011 in connection with the theft of a bulldog from a Coquitlam backyard. Olson told Black Press after her arrest that she had “a moral right” to take the dogs. She repeatedly told media that she took the bulldog, Samson, “because a bulldog expert advised me he was going to freeze to death.” i see page 4
Bravery recognized
World War II vet receives French award Sarah Massah Staff Reporter
Tracy Holmes photo
Police chat with Roy Mercer and Darlene Fox Friday, to connect the couple with outreach workers and remind them that they have to vacate.
Property owner says City of Surrey leaves him little choice
Couple evicted after decade in woods Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
A homeless couple who have made camp on private property in South Surrey for nearly 10 years have been given until Nov. 1 to clear out. Roy Mercer and Darlene Fox received the news on Sept. 23, delivered by a half-dozen RCMP officers and one City of Surrey bylaw officer, who explained they were acting on a complaint. “(They) came in here and told me I had to be out in 30 days,” Mercer, 56, told Peace Arch
News on Friday. “There’s something wrong here. Ask anybody around here if I’ve done them any wrong and they would say no.” Police and city officials both say the ‘eviction’ was triggered by a complaint; as well, that the property owner “doesn’t want them here anymore.” Jas Rehal, manager of bylaws and licensing in Surrey, said the issue is “between the owner and the individuals living there.”
“Ultimately, the owner has to address this,” Rehal said by email. Property owner Gary Crowder said he is reluctant to ask them to leave, but it is a step he knew would be taken eventually: the city is enforcing its rules. “I’ve known for several years that we are in violation of city bylaws,” Crowder told PAN. “If I were to let them stay there now… I’d be subject to legal action from the City of Surrey. i see page 2
A South Surrey veteran has been recognized by the French government for his contribution to freeing the country from Nazis during the Second World War. Retired chief warrant officer John Mitges, 93, was announced as the recipient of the French Legion of Honour last week, for his valiant efforts during the Battle of the Liberation of France. The French order was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. It is the highest decoration in France and is awarded for bravery and service. John Mitges The Royal then and now Canadian Engineers veteran sustained a number of injuries in France during the Second World War, and each time returned to carry on with his mission. i see page 4
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