2006/07/25
RAIN
RCMP mourns four-legged member
Sadness was the order of the day Monday as RCMP members across the province mourned the loss of one of their police dogs.
Rain, a young German shepherd, was killed Saturday at Baltimore, near Hillsborough.
Members of District 11 RCMP, along with the force's emergency response team and canine unit, were responding to a call of an armed man when Rain was killed.
During the incident, the dog got away from its handler and chased a suspect into a wooded area, RCMP said Monday.
The man, who was bitten by the dog, managed to escape back to his home, where he was later arrested.
Rain was found dead Sunday.
RCMP Sgt. Maurice Comeau of District 11 said the man lived on a large property in a wooded area with several out buildings.
"The dog was on the scene and got away from its handler, somehow, and took off into the wooded area," he said. "He located the suspect in the wooded area and got into an altercation with this man."
Comeau said police officers were not present at that time.
"No shots were heard and the man did manage to get away from the dog somehow."
When officers caught up, Rain was nowhere to be found. A helicopter and Tri-County Search and Rescue were called in.
He was found Sunday afternoon dead in the bush.
Rain was later flown to the University of Prince Edward Island Veterinary College for an autopsy. The results were not immediately known.
"It's a big loss for our detachment and for the RCMP," Comeau said.
"We never like to lose a police dog because they are members of the force and they are considered our partners in the fight against crime. It's a tragic loss. These dogs put their lives on the line - day in and day out - for us."
Comeau said the dog handler, Cpl. Pierre Gardener, is "pretty distraught" over what happened.
Sgt. Yann Martell, the RCMP's dog handler co-ordinator for the province, said there were six RCMP dogs in New Brunswick prior to the incident that claimed Rain's life.
"It's like a member of the family when you lose a dog like this," Martell said. "He lives with you and you spend your life with him."
Martell said a dog handler's job is one of the most dangerous in the force.
"One day we may be looking for a suicidal male and the next day we may be tracking a criminal.
"Then there's the dealing you have when you make contact with a suspect."
Martell's former German shepherd, Vulcan, was shot three times during a marijuana seizure near Plaster Rock in 2001.
The five-year-old dog returned to duty for a full year before arthritis forced him into retirement. He passed away in the spring after a battle with cancer.
"Oh boy, I tell you, you live with that all of the time," Martell said. "When they say 'member of the family,' it is not too far from the truth."
"It's like having a family member taken away from you," said Cpl. Mark Gallagher, speaking on behalf of RCMP J Division.
"It's a huge blow, plus the amount of time it takes to train."
Const. Scott Dixon, who handles the Fredericton Police Force's dog Bear, said he will be contacting Gardener and letting him know he is thinking about him.
"The dog and its handler are partners," Dixon said. "It's just not a matter of going to work; you are going to work with your partner.
"I couldn't imagine the feeling or what I would feel if something happened (to Bear). He's your partner and best buddy."
In the meantime, an investigation into the Saturday incident is continuing. No charges have been laid.
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No arrests yet in vigilante rampage
Police continue probe into four-hour street battle between Grand Manan residents and suspected drug dealers; mayor appeals for calm SAINT JOHN - The mayor of Grand Manan is appealing for calm after about 40 islanders attacked a smaller group of locals and mainlanders they suspected of dealing drugs.
Dennis Greene says he had no clue what was going on early Saturday morning until the RCMP called him at 7:30 a.m. and gave him a full briefing of what happened on Cedar Street in the tiny community of Castalia.
"People of Grand Manan are usually a very law-abiding group. This here just shows their frustration with what's going on," he said yesterday afternoon, adding most people on the island supported the vigilante group. "They feel like they have done a service for the island by their actions."
The RCMP is still investigating and has released few details about the running street battle, which lasted four hours and peaked at about 1 a.m. Saturday. Greene says police told him the two groups were brandishing guns, knives and baseball bats. The three RCMP officers on duty tried to keep the situation under control but could not prevent the vigilante group from torching a house.
The vigilantes tossed rocks at volunteer firefighters when they tried to put out the flames and by the end of it all, the house behind the Castalia convenience store was a smouldering ruin. Greene says 15 people suffered minor injuries, although police doubted any of them would seek treatment at hospital. RCMP also told him that shots had been fired into a vehicle, but no one was hit.
The mayor, 63, says he has never heard of anything like this in the 53 years he has lived on the remote island in the Bay of Fundy. Greene will not condone violence as a solution to the island's drug problem, but he understands why people are so frustrated. He attends court in Grand Manan once a month as a spectator and is appalled by the lenient sentences being handed down.
"I know my frustration is with the justice system. The RCMP are doing all they can to stop this activity, and then you see a drug dealer going up before a judge and he gets house arrest. That just makes it more convenient for him to do business."
Given the number of people involved and the nature of the riot, the investigation will probably take some time. Sgt. Greg MacAvoy, the spokesman for the RCMP in District 1, confirmed from his St. George detachment yesterday that police were looking into the allegation that a group of locals, mostly fishermen, attacked a smaller group of people they suspected of pushing drugs.
"We've heard the same sort of tale. Right now we're in the course of inquiring and investigating to see if we can identify who was involved in this fracas."
Although the fight included up to 50 agitated participants and onlookers, MacAvoy says the three officers who tried to quell the riot did not report feeling physically threatened. "Our members weren't the target of either group. In fact, some of them said, 'He's a policeman, watch out for him'."
Normally, only four RCMP members work on Grand Manan, but MacAvoy says he'll draw on his pool of 43 members who work in Charlotte County and the isles to help sort this one out. The RCMP knew there were problems at the house in question because a vehicle had been torched at the same residence only two or three weeks before. It belonged to a man living in the Saint John area who was visiting the island at the time, says MacAvoy.
The mayor and a few councillors had also met with the RCMP on July 14 and warned them they had heard of rumblings in the community about the alleged drug house, says Greene. "I heard at the local garage something was going to happen. But we thought something would happen the weekend before."
Greene says the fact nothing happened when they said it would might help explain why police were caught a little off guard this past weekend.
Meanwhile, MacAvoy says his detachment has been in touch with RCMP in Saint John, who will also work with the Saint John Police Force in the investigation. He stressed the importance of people working with police on the case. As of last night, police hadn't charged anyone.
"From what little we're hearing, I'm not sure folks want to step up and help out," he said. "If some folks want to tell us what they know, formally or informally, we're prepared to listen."
Public Safety Minister Wayne Steeves says he was briefed on the situation, but he prefers not to comment while the case is under investigation. The minister says he feels the RCMP has enough resources on the island to prevent this sort of thing from happening again.
"I have all the confidence in the world that the RCMP are well trained and know what to do," he said. "In last year's budget, I provided an extra $7 million to the RCMP to help provide personnel and tighten up on these sorts of situations."
The prevalence of drugs on Grand Manan is something leaders on the island characterize as a problem no worse than what you'd find elsewhere in small communities. Eric Allaby, the Liberal MLA who lives on Grand Manan, expresses the same sort of frustrations as the mayor. He had only heard accounts of what went on Friday night and early Saturday morning and was not going to rush to judge anyone who got caught up in the violence.
"It's really unfortunate that people have come to the point where they feel like the justice system isn't working," he said shortly before attending a local health board meeting. "It shows that our system isn't working if they feel that's what they had to do."
The only good to come out of it, says Allaby, is no one can pretend drugs are not a problem anymore. Allaby knows most people who live on the island and he says few of them would resort to vigilante justice unless their friends or family members were seriously hurt by something such as drug abuse.
Most other people on Grand Manan do not condone the violence, he says, but they have a good understanding why people are so frustrated.
As for solutions, he's not sure what should be done.
"I don't feel equipped to deal with this, and I'll leave that to the experts in law enforcement. If I had all the answers, I would have applied them a long time ago."
The drug problem, says Allaby, is often hidden from view and difficult to understand for an older person like him, who grew up without the scourge of people popping pills and snorting junk.
"It's surprising. Sometimes you'll know someone you didn't realize had a problem because they were living their lives by all outward appearances normally. Then you hear such and such a person struggled with drugs."
Despite what some people on the island say, the mayor does not believe the problem is that there are too few officers on the island, and Greene has nothing but praise for the three officers who responded to the riot - Cpl. Ron Smith, Cst. Gerald Bigger and Cst. Diane Veronneau. The local detachment also includes Cst. Terry Pomeroy, who was on vacation at the time.
"They handled the situation to the best of their ability. The four officers on Grand Manan are the best police officers we've ever had on Grand Manan. They're not the rough-and-tough types, if you know what I mean. They are community-minded."------------
Residents fear riot retaliation
Occupants of suspected drug house unlikely to let matter alone, says neighbour
RCMP are disheartened that residents felt they had to take matters into their own hands to deal with a reputed drug house on Grand Manan Island. Rioters in Castalia torched the house Saturday GRAND MANAN - Under a pile of charred wood, a small line of smoke made its way into the air.
Burned appliances sat crooked, on top of black chunks of the old front step.
A soggy baseball hat was crumpled beside the debris, covered with flies.
A sandal sat on the ground, twisted in high grass.
Broken glass littered the driveway.
Someone used to live here.
On Grand Manan Island, said resident Rosanne Scott, neighbours care about each other.
After a weekend blaze, set by Island residents, it's clear that they don't share that fondness for everyone.
What used to be a house on Cedar Street in Castalia is now a mound of soot and rubble.
Early Saturday morning, Grand Manan residents rioted outside the home, eventually setting it on fire.
The uproar lasted about four hours, with the peak occurring at about 1 a.m.
When Scott arrived home after spending the night with her boyfriend, she said she wasn't surprised.
She lives across the street, and looked out her kitchen window when she talked about her neighbours.
"I wasn't really surprised," she said of the early-morning riot. "I heard through the grape vine that something was going to happen."
On Cedar Street, most of the homes are decorated with 'Welcome' signs. One is fronted by a fishing-rope clothes line.
But, in the lot filled with scorched debris, no welcome sign remained. Not even the driveway was left in good condition.
Broken glass sparkled in the rocky pathway. Beer bottles were all over the yard, most of them smashed.
"Everybody on the Island is really friendly," Scott said. "Normally nothing goes on like this."
Another neighbour said the ruckus scared her and her children, but because of an anonymous call, she was able to make it out.
She did not want to be named.
"I got a call about 11 or 11:30 p.m. that night," she said. "They said 'you need to take your kids and go somewhere, it's not going to be good.'
"I didn't ask any questions. I knew from the talk that something was going to happen."
Her large dog, a mix between a rottweiler and a German Sheppard, licked her hand as she spoke. She said she bought the dog to keep her family safe.
"There's a lot of shady characters over there," she said, referring to the house that used to stand about two doors down.
After efforts to feel comfortable, the 31-year-old decided she needed to leave Cedar Street. A 'For Sale' sign sat in her kitchen window.
"My son will not even sleep here at night."
RCMP Cpl. Ron Smith was one of three officers on the scene Saturday morning.
He confirmed shots were fired, although no one was injured by gun fire, he said.
The most serious injuries were to four male occupants of the home, who were badly beaten, he said.
Smith was unaware of their condition Monday afternoon.
"None of them wanted medical attention," he said. "They wouldn't let the ambulance look at them."
He said approximately 10 people occupied the home. Forty others rioted outside the house.
"They were hollering back and fourth, there was alcohol involved," he said. "There was lots of profanity being exchanged. Neither side was willing to back down."
When police and fire officials tried to stop the mob, they were heckled, and became a target.
"People were throwing rocks at us and the occupants," Smith said. "Well, actually, not rocks, but more like boulders.
"They were tampering with fire equipment and the fire trucks."
Grand Manan Fire Chief Colin Bagley was also on Cedar Street Saturday morning.
"They put a half tonne (truck) across the road and said, 'You guys can't come through'," he said. "I've never seen anything like it."
A vehicle was also damaged in the face-off.
"They beat the windows out of it," Bagley said.
Residents speculated the reason behind the brawl is drug related.
"The word is that it's a crack house," said a Cedar Street resident. "They're quite well known as drug dealers."
When asked about the issue, Smith said no drug related charges have been made.
He said residents have complained about the occupants prior to the weekend's events.
"They were concerned with some of the activity that's been going on in the house," he said. "They've made indications to the police, we've looked into it, and we have investigations ongoing.
"We can't disclose what the allegations were."
Scott said Islanders turned to violence because they had enough.
"People are getting tired of the young people getting hooked on drugs."
In the disarrayed lot on Cedar Street, ashes and charred belongings remained.
A package of pizza dough was not burned, but spilled over the grass.
Vehicles slowed down, pointed, and continued on when they passed.
The tall trees behind the pile of debris were singed. The fire ate the leaves, leaving black tree trunks behind.
Now, Grand Manan residents fear what will happen next.
"It was a relief, you know, I thought 'oh, it's good'," said the unnamed neighbour. "But it's going to get worse. They're not just going to let that go."
RCMP has begun what is expected to be the long process of talking to those present in attempt to sort out rioting charges.
In the Grand Manan RCMP detachment, Smith said he's also worried about the next move.
"People are ashamed," he said. "We're hoping this is the first and last time this happens."
The air on Cedar Street smelled smoky Monday afternoon, and although the fire cooled, residents fear the issue may just be igniting.
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Police identify victim in suspicious Cape Breton death
JUDIQUE, N.S. RCMP have identified the body of a 22-year-old woman found dead in a Cape Breton cottage.
An autopsy was conducted yesterday on Maggie Jean MacIsaac, but results were not released. Her body was found in a cottage in the Judique area over the weekend.
RCMP suspect foul play.
A 30-year-old man was taken into custody but no charges have been laid. ---------
Lock your windows, police say
Police Beat
A weekend home invasion in Moncton has police reminding residents to lock their ground-floor windows before going to bed.
"Two men entered the home through an open window," says Codiac RCMP Const. Bryan Butler. "The victim doesn't seem to know who they are."
Butler won't say what street the home is on, only that it's in the Sunny Brae neighbourhood, off Elmwood Drive. The 53-year-old man who lives at the residence encountered the intruders.
"He ended up with defensive wounds, cuts and bruises, on his hands," says Butler, adding he was treated and released from hospital. "They took an undetermined amount of money from his wallet."
The incident happened Sunday at 5 a.m. Butler says the victim provided no description of his assailants.
The constable says home invasions are not a common occurrence in Moncton, but police are advising people to make sure their ground-floor doors and windows are locked, for their own security.
"This is a crime of opportunity," says Butler.
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Thief left blood
Police were able to connect a thief to a stolen cash tray because he left some blood on the evidence.
The theft happened the evening of March 31, at the Coverdale Road Tim Hortons in Riverview. A man walked up to the window, reached in and snatched a cash till.
Police received a report the next morning that an abandoned cash tray was found on a dirt road off Millennium Boulevard. There was no cash left in it, just a few coins scattered on the ground.
Farrell Dana Costain was in court yesterday for sentencing. He was charged with possession of property obtained by a crime and also with an unrelated auto theft for stealing a 1999 Oldsmobile Alero.
Crown prosecutor Anthony Allman told the court that when police investigated, they found blood on the tray. They were able to trace that blood through the DNA database to Costain, who has a long criminal record.
Moncton provincial court Judge Irwin Lampert asked him how he managed to get the tray out of the window without anyone stopping him. Costain answered that he drove to Tims, parked the car he'd stolen and walked up to the window.
"I ripped it right out through the drive-thru window," he said.
The coffee shop lost $300, plus the tray was worth another $200.
Allman asked for two years in jail and Costain agreed because he wants federal time so he can access better services and programs. He said he suffers from a bad cocaine addiction.
"I used to be traumatized when I was sent to jail, but now I'm traumatized when I'm released," he said, adding he also faces three robbery charges in Fredericton.
Lampert sentenced him to two years in prison.
Costain said next time things will be different when he gets out.
"This might be it for me once I finish this sentence," he said. "I can't continue to live like this. I can't stay on the streets for more than two weeks at a time."
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Man sentenced
A man has been sentenced to house arrest for sexually assaulting a woman last December.
Wayne D. Gallagher, 48, pleaded not guilty to the charge in February and went to trial in June. Moncton provincial court Judge Irwin Lampert found him guilty of the charge. Gallagher was back in court yesterday for sentencing.
Crown prosecutor Patrice Deschenes said the victim was a female friend of the accused. Gallagher hugged and kissed the woman, while slipping his hands up the back of her shirt and then down her pants onto her buttocks.
Lampert, reading the victim impact statement, said the woman had to go on stress leave from her job for more than a month immediately following the assault.
"He made inappropriate comments about various parts of her anatomy prior to (the assault) and she said he shouldn't lay a hand on her," said the judge.
Deschenes asked for a period of incarceration but said he wouldn't oppose a conditional sentence with a period of house arrest. Defence lawyer Lisanne Maurice asked for a lengthy period of probation, given that her client has no criminal record and the sex assault was relatively minor.
Lampert gave the man a five-month conditional sentence that includes 45 days of house arrest. He also faces the usual conditions, such as not being able to leave the province and reporting to a supervisor.
Gallagher must also provide a sample for the DNA registry and will have his name on the national sex offender registry for 10 years.
Suspect in court
A young man was in court yesterday, facing several charges in connection with a stabbing in the city Friday evening.
Semir Gutic was in the prisoners dock in court yesterday afternoon as Judge Irwin Lampert read the five charges against him. The lanky man was wearing a white, sleeveless undershirt and has his head shaved down to stubble.
The defendant is accused of committing an aggravated assault by wounding a teenaged boy, assault with a knife on the same victim, assault with a knife on a female victim, carrying a prohibited weapon for the purpose of committing an offence and breach of a court undertaking. A bail hearing was scheduled for this morning.
The incident occurred Friday around 7:30 p.m., but police have released few details about the attack. The stabbing victim was taken to hospital for treatment but later released.
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Thieves sought
Kent RCMP now believe two thieves who have robbed three stores while posing as tourists are from the Metro area.
"We got a couple of tips over the weekend and more this morning," says Sgt. David Mazerolle. "We think it's two guys from the Moncton area."
The pair has stolen $7,000 in cash and several cartons of cigarettes in three thefts in Bouctouche and Sainte-Marie since July 1. The latest robbery occurred last Wednesday.
During the thefts, one man occupies the clerk by asking about products and directions, while the other sneaks into a back room and fills a duffel bag with money and cartons of cigarettes. Two Esso gas station convenience stores and a Canadian Dollar Store have been robbed so far.
The men do not wear masks or show any weapons. Police have released surveillance footage of the thieves.
Robbery foiled
A Sussex resident helped foil an armed robbery on Sunday.
At approximately 10 a.m., a lone masked man entered Fergie's Pub and Steakhouse on Gateway Street in Sussex. He was armed with a shotgun and got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.
The suspect attempted to flee the scene on a bicycle but was tackled by a citizen who was slightly injured in the scuffle.
A 41-year-old man was taken into custody and appeared in Sussex provincial court yesterday. Robert Irvine was charged with armed robbery while wearing a mask, assault and pointing a weapon. He pleaded not guilty and was remanded until Thursday morning for a bail hearing.
Members of the public who have information on a crime can anonymously report it by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Woman jailed after hiding loaded handgun
SAINT JOHN - A 45-year-old woman with no criminal record was sentenced to 30 days in jail Monday for attempting to hide a loaded handgun for her boyfriend who was being questioned by police.
Kristina Joy Watkins of Victoria Street was also sentenced to an additional five days for breaking a promise to keep the peace while she awaited trial on a charge of using a stolen credit card.
She was arrested last Thursday night after police responded to a dispute on Main Street in the North End between her boyfriend and another man. There was a report a handgun was involved, said prosecutor Catherine McNally.
When police found the couple walking home they questioned the man, who denied he had a gun. Watkins started to walk away from the group and an officer, who saw her go down a driveway, was suspicious. A police dog was brought in and a loaded .22-calibre handgun was found on the ground near a garage.
The two men in the fight had a falling out over some renovation work on an apartment. Threats were made on both sides and Watkins' boyfriend went home to get the handgun, which was brought out during the dispute.
Watkins admitted to police she took the gun because she didn't want her boyfriend to get into trouble.
"I view it as a very serious matter to have a loaded handgun with no permit," said Provincial Court Judge William McCarroll.
Watkins may have thought she would not go to jail if caught with an illegal handgun because she had no criminal record, but she was mistaken, said the judge.
She had been in jail since her arrest Thursday night.
Watkins appeared in court on Friday and the Crown objected to her release. A bail hearing was scheduled for Monday but she changed her plea to guilty.
The gun was ordered forfeited to the Crown for eventual destruction. A police officer testified that the handgun was never registered in Canada. More work is underway to trace it from the factory where it was manufactured to the city's North End.
Watkins was placed on a mandatory 10-year prohibition from owning any firearms.-------------------
12-year-old pleads not guilty to triple murder in Medicine Hat
MEDICINE HAT, Alta. - A 12-year-old accused of killing a couple and their son has pleaded not guilty and opted for trial by youth judge alone.
Lawyer Randall Pick, acting as an agent for the girl's Calgary lawyer, told a Medicine Hat court Monday that possible trial dates had been chosen, but had not been cleared with the Crown.
Judge Darwin Greaves set next Monday as the day to set a trial date.
He said the girl, who can't be named under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, doesn't have to be there.
Crown prosecutor Stephanie Cleary is on vacation and was unavailable for comment.
The girl's co-accused, Jeremy Allan Steinke, is scheduled to be in Medicine Hat provincial court Aug. 1 to set a date for a preliminary hearing.
The two are charged with three counts each of first-degree murder in the slayings of the family in their Medicine Hat home April 23. Their bodies were discovered by police in various rooms of the house after a playmate of the family's eight-year-old boy saw something through a window.
The next day, Mr. Steinke and the girl were arrested in Leader, Sask.
She is currently being held at the Calgary Young Offender Centre, where she has continued her schooling.
At his last court appearance, the Crown pressed an additional charge against Mr. Steinke of disobeying a court order.
The Crown alleges he had contact with someone on a long list of people he is not to communicate with.
Mr. Steinke has been in custody at the Peter Lougheed Centre's forensic unit in Calgary since mid-May. It was there he underwent a psychiatric assessment, which has been completed but not made public.
Man arrested after gun fired on north side
ARREST ON BARTON CRESCENT
A Fredericton man faces charges after an incident early Monday night at 116 Barton Cres. Above, RCMP Const. Mark Wilson returns to his car with his rifle. The car , which is part of the investigation, was towed away. A local man is in police custody following an incident early Monday evening on Barton Crescent.
Members of the Fredericton Police Force were assisting District 2 RCMP with a call in the general area at about 7:10 p.m. when a gunshot was heard.
Const. Bobbi Simmons said an officer immediately called for back up and attended a residence on Barton Crescent.
Upon arrival, a 30-year-old man was taken into custody without incident. No one was injured.
"He did surrender himself to police," Simmons said Monday night.
"He will be facing weapons charges and we are investigating other criminal code matters. Whether or not he will be appearing in court (Tuesday), I am not sure (at this time)."
Simmons was unable to confirm the origin of the gunshot, but did say RCMP were also involved in the investigation.
Nobody from District 2 RCMP headquarters in Oromocto was available for comment. Traffic in the area was interrupted for a short time while police secured the area.
Strip club handed 45-day booze banA Dartmouth strip club will lose its liquor licence for 45 days starting Wednesday, the provincial Utility and Review Board says.
A decision released Monday states that Sensations cabaret on Wyse Road failed to abide by two of the province???s Liquor Licensing Regulations, resulting in the suspension of its licence until Sept. 8. The board heard the case on June 22 and 26.
The decision notes that Javis Roberts, who operates the club owned by his wife Patricia, is fighting the allegations.
Calls to Sensations on Monday went unanswered. When reached on his cellphone, club manager Gary DeMone directed all media calls to Mr. Roberts, who did not return calls by late afternoon.
On top of the licence suspension, Sensations has been ordered to stop using an inside doorway built this spring. The doorway was the first issue the board tackled. The decision states that on May 26 and June 5, club management allegedly broke Section 15(i) of the Liquor Licensing Regulations that requires establishments to get permission before altering their building.
The decision also claims that Sensations management repeatedly ignored a May 17 review board order banning all adult entertainment inside the club. Infractions were noted on May 19, 20 and 23 and June 1 and 2.
The board heard testimony from four Halifax Regional Police officers who went undercover at the club on May 19, two days after the board mandated an end to the stripping and all related activities.
Over a three-hour period, the officers said, they saw five dancers perform and were repeatedly offered lap dances in a backroom, which they declined.
The officers testified that the women did not remove their undergarments but made "suggestive motions" with their hips, rubbed their breasts and simulated masturbation.
Sensations has stirred up controversy since it opened in late January. Neighbourhood residents have cited incidents of public urination and intoxication and excessive noise. They were also concerned about prostitution and having a strip club close to schools and a day-care centre.
Residents took their concerns to the review board and testified when the club???s liquor licence expired on April 1.
On May 17, the board decided to renew the club???s licence on the basis that it no longer provide any form of adult entertainment.
PROVINCE IN BRIEF Female hitchhikers threaten, rob man Two female hitchhikers threatened and robbed a man who???d picked them up in Dartmouth early Sunday morning, Halifax Regional Police said in a release. The man was threatened with a knife on Pinecrest Drive at about 3:10 a.m. The women took a portable CD player. ---------------- Dad upset over cop response to muggingJerry Johnstone wants to see the police presence on Wyse Road stepped up. That???s because his daughter Dawn was mugged in broad daylight at a strip mall on the Dartmouth street Monday. The 30-year-old woman was coming out of the CIBC branch at 6:30 p.m., headed to the Blockbuster video store a few doors down, when a young man elbowed her in the ribs and ripped the purse off her shoulder. Her first reaction was to yell, then chase the thief. "As I started to run, the guy in the laundromat started chasing after him," Ms. Johnstone said. "But I stopped running because I didn???t know what I would do (if I caught him)." Ms. Johnstone wasn???t injured in the attack. Lorna MacLaren, who was also working at the laundromat at the time, called 911 and helped calm Ms. Johnstone down. The Johnstones said the police showed up at about 7:30 ??? almost an hour later. They say that???s unacceptable. Police spokesman Const. Jeff Carr said calls are given priority when they are received, and even though Ms. Johnstone was in no immediate danger, her call would probably have been addressed with some urgency.Ms. Johnstone isn???t the only person who has had a brush with crime in the area recently, Ms. MacLaren said. About two weeks ago, she said, she helped an elderly woman who was robbed coming out of the same bank in middle of the day. That time, she said, the police responded more quickly. Const. Carr said he isn???t aware of a crime spike in that area. Mr. Johnstone was so upset about the incident that he taped a sign to the door of CIBC, warning customers: "My daughter was robbed here tonight. I suggest you do NOT go in." CIBC customers stopped to read the sign, and many looked around carefully before entering the bank. But because it is illegal to post signs on private property, police removed it before they left the scene. Ms. Johnstone described her attacker as a tall, black male in his 20s with a black goatee. He was wearing a baggy black T-shirt and black jeans. ------------
Female hitchhikers threaten, rob man
Two female hitchhikers threatened and robbed a man who???d picked them up in Dartmouth early Sunday morning, Halifax Regional Police said in a release.
The man was threatened with a knife on Pinecrest Drive at about 3:10 a.m. The women took a portable CD player.
Dad upset over cop response to muggingJerry Johnstone wants to see the police presence on Wyse Road stepped up. That???s because his daughter Dawn was mugged in broad daylight at a strip mall on the Dartmouth street Monday. The 30-year-old woman was coming out of the CIBC branch at 6:30 p.m., headed to the Blockbuster video store a few doors down, when a young man elbowed her in the ribs and ripped the purse off her shoulder. Her first reaction was to yell, then chase the thief. "As I started to run, the guy in the laundromat started chasing after him," Ms. Johnstone said. "But I stopped running because I didn???t know what I would do (if I caught him)." Ms. Johnstone wasn???t injured in the attack. Lorna MacLaren, who was also working at the laundromat at the time, called 911 and helped calm Ms. Johnstone down. The Johnstones said the police showed up at about 7:30 ??? almost an hour later. They say that???s unacceptable. Police spokesman Const. Jeff Carr said calls are given priority when they are received, and even though Ms. Johnstone was in no immediate danger, her call would probably have been addressed with some urgency.Ms. Johnstone isn???t the only person who has had a brush with crime in the area recently, Ms. MacLaren said. About two weeks ago, she said, she helped an elderly woman who was robbed coming out of the same bank in middle of the day. That time, she said, the police responded more quickly. Const. Carr said he isn???t aware of a crime spike in that area. Mr. Johnstone was so upset about the incident that he taped a sign to the door of CIBC, warning customers: "My daughter was robbed here tonight. I suggest you do NOT go in." CIBC customers stopped to read the sign, and many looked around carefully before entering the bank. But because it is illegal to post signs on private property, police removed it before they left the scene. Ms. Johnstone described her attacker as a tall, black male in his 20s with a black goatee. He was wearing a baggy black T-shirt and black jeans.
That???s because his daughter Dawn was mugged in broad daylight at a strip mall on the Dartmouth street Monday.
The 30-year-old woman was coming out of the CIBC branch at 6:30 p.m., headed to the Blockbuster video store a few doors down, when a young man elbowed her in the ribs and ripped the purse off her shoulder.
Her first reaction was to yell, then chase the thief.
"As I started to run, the guy in the laundromat started chasing after him," Ms. Johnstone said. "But I stopped running because I didn???t know what I would do (if I caught him)."
Ms. Johnstone wasn???t injured in the attack.
Lorna MacLaren, who was also working at the laundromat at the time, called 911 and helped calm Ms. Johnstone down.
The Johnstones said the police showed up at about 7:30 ??? almost an hour later. They say that???s unacceptable.
Police spokesman Const. Jeff Carr said calls are given priority when they are received, and even though Ms. Johnstone was in no immediate danger, her call would probably have been addressed with some urgency.Ms. Johnstone isn???t the only person who has had a brush with crime in the area recently, Ms. MacLaren said. About two weeks ago, she said, she helped an elderly woman who was robbed coming out of the same bank in middle of the day. That time, she said, the police responded more quickly.
Const. Carr said he isn???t aware of a crime spike in that area.
Mr. Johnstone was so upset about the incident that he taped a sign to the door of CIBC, warning customers: "My daughter was robbed here tonight. I suggest you do NOT go in."
CIBC customers stopped to read the sign, and many looked around carefully before entering the bank. But because it is illegal to post signs on private property, police removed it before they left the scene.
Ms. Johnstone described her attacker as a tall, black male in his 20s with a black goatee. He was wearing a baggy black T-shirt and black jeans.
Lets hear it for the Good Folks of Grand Manan
GlassHalfFull wrote:Thats really sad what happened to that police dog. I lost my cat a month or so ago and it still hurts.
Those of us who have four footed family members,are deeply attached to them,and love them dearly,share your loss with you.Those who do not, will never understand this loss.My sympathies.
Tuesday's Globe and Mail
Grand Manan, the pretty archipelago in the Bay of Fundy, is typically tranquil, best known for its pudgy puffins and mouth-watering lobster.
It's a sleepy tourist destination and, for those who call it home, a peaceful place where people are used to leaving the doors unlocked at night.
But residents' anxieties over creeping drug problems in the community sparked a violent, vigilante attack against suspected dealers on the weekend -- and many are concerned that others will take the law into their own hands.
"For the most part Grand Mananers are rational people," Mayor Dennis Greene said. "But I believe that people felt they had taken all they could take. I hope this was a one-time thing. But I believe it could happen again."
What did go down in the midnight hours last Saturday was more fitting of the urban jungle or a Martin Scorsese film than of a fishing community that lures tourists with its serene seashore.
As many as 50 residents, ranging in age from twentysomething to fiftysomething, got together and launched an attack on a group of about 10 locals who the vigilantes suspected of dealing drugs from a house in the tiny community of Castalia, on the island's eastern shore.
Participants on both sides brandished guns, baseball bats and knives. The battle rumbled over four hours into the early morning. Three of the island's four RCMP officers were on duty and tried to break up what turned into a raging street riot, but they could not stop the vigilante gang from setting fire to the suspected drug den. As volunteer firefighters worked to douse the flames, the vigilantes hurled rocks at them; the house burned to the ground and more than a dozen people suffered minor injuries during the fights. Gunshots were also fired, though no one was hit.
The RCMP have sent a handful of extra Mounties to the island to help with the investigation and keep the peace.
Sergeant Greg MacAvoy said it was too soon to know who among the island's 2,700 residents was involved and he wasn't sure whether charges would be laid.
"If there are charges we'll deal with it but really we want to help the community heal," he said. "It's a lesson in how things can go off the rails. You hope that in the clear light of day that people who were involved have had time to have a sober second thought and say, 'Hey, maybe we went a little overboard.'
"It's pretty hard to condone violence of the level that escalated to Saturday night. You can understand that people get frustrated and to the end of their rope. I'm betting a lot of the people involved in this were acting completely out of character. But things don't have to get that extreme."
Police said yesterday they took one man who was a resident of the targeted house into custody early yesterday on charges not related to Saturday's riot or drugs.
"There's some relief with that," Mr. Greene said.
The mayor, who is 63 and moved to Grand Manan from another New Brunswick island, Campobello, when he was 10 years old, criticized the justice system for handing out lenient sentences to those charged with drug offences in the community.
"The police are doing a fine job but we're being let down by the justice system, which gives criminals more rights than victims," he said. "I've seen drug dealers sentenced to house arrest. Well, what do you think happens then?"
The residents, who apparently met to discuss their attack several weeks earlier, may have burned an SUV that belonged to one of the suspected dealers earlier this month -- "a message that didn't get across," Mr. Greene said.
Some members of the vigilante group were parents who suspected their children had bought drugs from the targets of the attack. Marijuana, crack, cocaine, ecstasy and prescription painkillers are all prevalent in the community, said several residents contacted yesterday, who also said they were afraid to give their names. One man referred to the targeted house as a "crack house."
It has been a rough couple of years for this island that relies largely on the fishery and tourism. More than 160 people lost their jobs when a sardine plant closed early in 2005, the aquaculture industry has been battling a virus, and the spring lobster catch was down.
"I hope people know that this was a one-time thing and that Grand Manan is a safe and peaceful place that's open for business," Mr. Greene said.
"This is a way of life we're not used to here. I never locked my door at night, but in the last year or so, even if I'm just going a few doors away to the hardware store, I will lock my door. With unemployment the way it is, sometimes people get into things, like drugs."