WEDNESDAY June
11 2014
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Track stars strike gold L o c a l N e w s . L o c a l M at t e r s
N S N E WS.C O M
Robbery spree nets five years
American man sentenced for string of grocery store holdups JANE SEYD jseyd@nsnews.com
A 69 year-old man who deserted from the U.S. Air Force four decades
ago will be spending his last years in Canada in jail after being sentenced Monday for a series of brazen armed robberies on the North Shore and
in Vancouver. Thomas John Stone will spend almost three years in jail, on top of time he’s already been in custody, for a series of gunpoint holdups at grocery stores committed between March 31 and Oct. 26, 2012. Stone, also known as Thomas John Schwartz,
served in the U.S. Air Force as a staff sergeant before deserting to Canada in June 1972 after becoming disillusioned with his country’s role in the Vietnam War. By all accounts, he lived a quiet life in Squamish for many years under the assumed name Thomas Stone.
Stone told authorities he committed the holdups out of financial desperation, after racking up massive credit card debts and finding it impossible to support himself. Crown counsel Lindsay Herron said Stone spent time casing the grocery stores he targeted and
rehearsing the robberies before committing them. On March 31, 2012 he walked into Safeway on Marine Drive in West Vancouver, wearing a ball cap and glasses, brandished a gun at a clerk and said, “If I don’t see the See Gun page 11
RHOV star’s daughter hit in drive-by shooting JEREMY SHEPHERD jshepherd@nsnews.com
RealityTV performer Mia Deakin was in hospital being treated for gunshot wounds Sunday following a drive-by shooting at a Vancouver gas station. Deakin, a regular on Real Housewives of Vancouver, was hurt after shots were fired from an SUV on East Hastings Street near Vernon Drive.The shooting, which left Deakin wounded and another man with minor injuries, was targeted, according to police. Deakin is currently in stable condition. Deakin is the daughter of reality TV star Jody Claman, who sparred with the other Real Housewives for two seasons prior to the show’s cancellation. Lark Productions, which produced the show, issued a statement offering support. “We wish Mia a very speedy recovery and our thoughts are with the Claman family at this time.”
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