Do you know what a marijuana growhouse looks like? I thought I did. After all, I've written countless stories on the subject and know all the signs to look for. But then I stopped by a McNeil Drive home that was the scene of a major marijuana plant seizure early Wednesday morning and the first thought that came to mind was, "This can't be the right house." It just looked so, well, normal and well-kept. There were flowers in the garden, two cheery chairs on the porch and even a flower pot in a "welcome" plant stand, for Pete's sake. How could anyone suspect this house? [continues 269 words]
To the Editor: My sister sent this to me and I think it deserves to be in our paper. It speaks for itself. I think that we should all get our children to read this. This was written by a young girl who was in jail for drug charges and was addicted to meth. She wrote this while in jail. As you will soon read, she fully grasped the horrors of the drug, as she tells in this simple, yet profound poem. She was released from jail, but, true to her story, the drug owned her. They found her dead not long after, with the needle still in her arm. Please do not try it, not even once! This thing is worse than any of us realize ... [continues 574 words]
Crime Stoppers of Halton is celebrating its success after statistics revealed the organization received 34 per cent more tips last year than the year before. "For the most part, everything increased. We're particularly proud of the sheer number of tips-it blew last year's figures away," said co-ordinator Sgt. Ray Bruce. In 2003, Crime Stoppers of Halton received 406 tips. Last year, that number was 546. There were also increases in the number of arrests and charges laid last year, as well as the number of cases cleared due to tips. [continues 447 words]
Dead silence filled the room as the man who once refused to be knocked down by boxing great Mohammed Ali broke down in tears. "My beautiful son, are you dead or alive," cried George Chuvalo, repeating the unforgettable thoughts that were going through his mind during a boxing match in Mexico. At the time, even though away from his family and doing what he loved, Mr. Chuvalo instinctively knew something was wrong back home. "Little did I know, before the final clock sounded, my son had already passed away," he said. [continues 495 words]
A glitch in how police conducted an investigation means the case of two Milton residents charged in connection with a marijuana growing operation has been tossed out of court. Halton Regional Police seized $250,000 worth of drugs as well as hydroponic growing equipment and 251 marijuana plants during a raid at a Fourth Line residence in June, 2001. Det. Const. Ed Guys from Halton police's drug and morality bureau told The Champion cops were tipped off when a photo lab told police of pictures they had developed of what appeared to be a marijuana-growing operation. [continues 252 words]
Fewer tips received, fewer arrests made and fewer cases cleared. That's the picture upon the recent release of Crime Stoppers of Halton's statistics for the first half of this year compared with the same period last year. Crime Stoppers received 34 per cent fewer tips from January 1 to June 30 this year than last year. There were 17 fewer arrests and 18 fewer cases cleared. But not all of this year's numbers dropped. There was a huge increase in the narcotics seized by Crime Stoppers -- a rise of $1.2 million -- for a total of $3.5 million seized. [continues 376 words]
