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FRIDAY, February 23, 2018
www.kamloopsthisweek.com
LOCAL NEWS
Alleged gangster free on bail days after sentence handed down Jason Robertson released from prison pending appeals in B.C.’s highest court TIM PETRUK STAFF REPORTER tim@kamloopsthisweek.com
An alleged Kamloops gangster who was sentenced earlier this week to 18 months in prison is once again free on bail pending an appeal filed in B.C.’s highest court. Jason Robertson was sentenced on Monday following his conviction on five weapons and property-related offences, as well as one count of identity theft. He was released on bail on Wednesday following a brief B.C. Court of Appeal hearing in Vancouver. Robertson and his wife, Sarah, were arrested following a series of high-profile police raids in May 2014 on properties owned by Jason Robertson, including the execution of a warrant at their
ROBERTSON Arrowstone Drive home in Sahali. At the time, police took reporters to an evidence room at the Kamloops RCMP detachment and displayed
dozens of firearms, electronics, cash and drugs seized in the raids. Police said the operation was gang-related and Hells Angels support stickers were visible on some of the seized items. Early on in the proceedings against them, the Robertsons were facing more than 50 charges. Last year, on the eve of their trial, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Jeanne Watchuk stayed all counts Sarah Robertson was facing, ruling her Charter rights had been violated by police during their investigation. The bulk of Jason Robertson’s 18-month sentence was for a conviction for possession of a stolen firearm, which carries a mandatory one-year prison sentence. During Robertson’s sentencing, Watchuk ordered
police to return 34 legally owned firearms seized by police during their execution of the Arrowstone Drive search warrant. At an earlier hearing, court heard $50,000 in cash was seized from the Sahali home — the house alleged to have been the Robertsons’ primary residence. During proceedings in 2016, when defence lawyers challenged the methods used by police while executing the warrant, surveillance footage showed officers joking about leaving live ammunition in the family’s fireplace and seizing their passports to stop them from travelling. Robertson’s lawyers are appealing both his conviction and sentence. His next court appearance is slated for Sept. 10 in Vancouver.
Search continues for missing Sun Peaks man
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Police ask area residents to check properties for any sign of 20-year-old Ryan Shtuka KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK
Kamloops Mounties are urging Sun Peaks residents to check their sheds, garages and vehicles and to review any security footage they may have as the search for a missing 20-year-old man. Ryan Shtuka vanished early on Saturday, Feb. 17, after leaving a party on Burfield Drive in the mountain resort 45 kilometres northeast of Kamloops. Shtuka was last seen at 2:10 a.m. on that Saturday and is believed to have left the party to walk the short distance to his home in the village. But Shtuka did not show up at
SHTUKA work that day and has not been active on social media or on his cellphone since. Kamloops Search and
Rescue organized two days of searching, but the effort was suspended on Monday, Feb. 19, when no sign of Shtuka was found. The operation included 22 KSAR members and 74 volunteers from the community. Search dogs, snowmobiles, drones with infrared cameras and helicopters were also utilized. Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Jodi Shelkie said it is possible Shtuka made his way into a shed, garage or unlocked vehicle, which is why police are asking residents to check those places. “So far, there have been no tips that substantiate Ryan left the village of Sun Peaks on
Feb. 17,” Shelkie said. A GoFundMe page, online at https://www.gofundme. com/helping-to-find-ryan, with a fundraising goal of $20,000 has been created to support Shtuka’s family as they continue the search. Shtuka was last seen wearing dark jeans, a grey/white shirt, a blue coat and a burgundy ball cap. He is white, stands 5-foot10, weighs 70 kilograms (155 pounds) and has blond hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information is being asked to contact Kamloops Rural RCMP at 250314-1800 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
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