Pubdate: Wed, 15 Aug 2007
Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2007 Times Colonist
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481
Author: Louise Dickson
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)

OFFICER: VICTIM LIKELY PANICKED, SWALLOWED DRUGS

Michael Kurash probably panicked and swallowed a lethal dose of 
cocaine because he didn't want to go to jail, police Cpl. Brian Kerr 
testified yesterday at a coroner's inquest into the death of the 22-year-old.

Before his death on Oct. 17, 2006, Kurash was a street level drug 
dealer, who cleared about $5,000 in a good week, said Kerr, former 
head of the West Shore RCMP street crime unit.

On Sept. 8, 2006, Kerr executed a search warrant at the home of 
Michael's father, Terry Kurash. In a safe in Michael's room, Kerr 
found 96.1 grams of cocaine with a street value of about $8,000, 92 
pills of crystal meth and $325 in U.S. cash. He also found $8,800 in 
Canadian money in a jacket in Michael's closet.

Kurash was to appear in court in November 2006, charged with 
possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking. 
But on Oct. 17, he was pulled over in a seat-belt check at Tillicum 
Mall and arrested by Saanich police for possession of a small amount 
of marijuana.

Kurash was left alone to place a call to his lawyer. After the first 
call, Const. Mathew Jones told Kurash they were going to strip search 
him. Kurash asked to make another call.

After that call, Kurash said he was not consenting to the search. 
During the strip search, two empty plastic baggies fell to the floor. 
Jones asked Kurash where the drugs were. Kurash said there weren't 
any. As Jones released Kurash from custody about 1:50 p.m., he warned 
him if he had done "something stupid like swallowing drugs" he should 
go to a hospital right away.

Asked by coroner's counsel John Orr if he could make suggestions 
which might prevent similar deaths, Kerr said he was not critical of 
the Saanich officers involved.

"I would have searched him before I allowed him to place the call to 
his lawyer or I would have kept him in view while he made the call," said Kerr.

Earlier, the inquest was told that Kurash walked into Synergy Health 
Management on Quadra Street just after 2 p.m. and asked medical 
office assistant Lorraine Dainard if he could see a doctor right away.

"I think my stomach's going to explode," he told her. "I just need to 
throw up. I need something right now."

Dainard told Kurash the doctor was with a patient and that there was 
no medicine in the clinic to make him throw up. Dainard asked Kurash 
what he swallowed. He didn't tell her.

After Kurash left the clinic, Dainard tried to find him to offer to 
call an ambulance.

Orr read a statement by Kurash's friend Torrie Hill, who picked 
Kurash up outside the medical clinic. Hill said Kurash told him he 
had swallowed 4.4 grams of cocaine, but insisted he was fine. "My 
mouth's a bit numb, but I'm OK," he told Hill, who repeatedly offered 
to take him to the hospital.

Kurash asked Hill to drive him home. He said he would tell his father 
what happened and go to the hospital.

"I wish I'd taken him straight to the hospital," said Hill, who 
didn't think Kurash had taken a fatal dose. "He was laughing. He 
didn't seem like he was going to go home and die two hours later."

"Everything's all good," Kurash told him. But it wasn't.

The inquest heard testimony from Terry Kurash, who found his son 
lying unconscious on his back on the bathroom floor and tried to 
revive him with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Kurash struggled for 
composure as Michael's sister Julie-Anne, mother Eileen Jespersen and 
brother Jody wept in the front seats of the courtroom.

"His face was a pale blue colour. I didn't know what he had done. ... 
I tried to shake him and I knew it was something really serious," 
said Terry Kurash. "I grabbed my cellphone and called 911."

The dispatcher told Kurash how to give his son CPR.

"I kept pushing on his chest, but I knew he was dead. I just knew," 
sobbed Kurash. "I was breathing into him but the air just came back 
out ... It was a horrible experience."

Kerr told coroner Beth Larcombe it was the first time in his 25 years 
as a Mountie a person had swallowed that amount of cocaine.

"I think it's an isolated thing and he made some very bad choices," said Kerr.

Kurash's lawyer Chris Massey has refused to answer questions at the 
inquest after receiving advice from a bencher, a senior member of the 
law profession, that to do so would violate his obligation to 
maintain confidentiality.

Larcombe will advise the inquest jury to consider a recommendation 
that the Law Society find a way to allow lawyers to be helpful at 
future coroner's inquests and still maintain the integrity of 
solicitor-client privilege.

The inquest continues today at 9 a.m. at the Victoria courthouse.
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