Clearwater RCMP and the courts continue their attacks on the proceeds of crime. For the second time in two weeks the courts have ordered the forfeiture of properties in the Clearwater area after police found major marijuana grow operations on them. On April 30 in Kamloops a judge ordered Klondike Elston, age 48, to forfeit a small ranch located near Little Fort. Elston was also sentenced to nine months in jail, two years of probation, plus given a lifetime firearms ban. He was described by his lawyer as an outstanding citizen of Blue River. [continues 162 words]
Clearwater RCMP detachment has a message for organized crime: You're not welcome in this community. Last year the local police found and seized a greater number of marijuana grow operations and interdicted more cash and illicit drugs than most other detachments in the province, RCMP Sgt. Stu Seib reported to Clearwater town council Tuesday evening. "We're just more aggressive," Seib told the councilors. "At any one time, we'll be working on five to eight grow ops, collecting evidence for search warrants." [continues 468 words]
A Times editorial by Keith McNeill We join the rest of the community in expressing our shock, sorrow, sympathy and support for the four young RCMP officers recently killed in Alberta, their families and their fellow members of the force. Police work can be a dangerous way to make a living. Certainly there are other jobs that statistically are more risky (hand-falling comes to mind), but there are few occupations in which the dangers can be so personal, sudden and unpredictable. [continues 293 words]
"Clearwater and Barriere are traumatized communities, and any time you have communities in trauma, drug and alcohol use goes up," says Angela Lawrence. Lawrence is the School District 73 drug alcohol prevention and intervention coordinator. About two dozen local residents turned out for a session with her on substance abuse at Clearwater Secondary School Tuesday evening. The forum was sponsored by the CSS Parents Advisory Committee. An RCMP dog trained to locate drugs had searched the school the week before, principal Rick Kienlein told the meeting. The dog stopped and indicated strongly at the lockers of six students. [continues 579 words]
Suspensions for drug and alcohol use have increased for each of the past five years in School District 73, and continue to do so. Over 209 drug related suspensions were given in the district in the 2002/2003 school year. "It's not just a school problem, or a Kamloops problem, it's a community problem," said John Harwood, school trustee for the Clearwater-Blue River area. He was commenting on 13 recommendations to address the issue recently approved by the school board. The recommendations were contained in a report from a committee set up by superintendent Terry Sullivan to look into child and adolescent drug use. [continues 148 words]
"Some people can't understand why British Columbia has more hydroponic grow operations than anywhere else in North America. Why is that? It's because B.C. has the laxest laws and softest sentencing." That's the evaluation of Serge LeClerc, a motivational speaker who appeared at local schools last week to talk about drug awareness. LeClerc gave students some tough talk about his time as a drug dealer and the 21 years in jail he spent as a result, but he saved some of his toughest comments for a luncheon with the executive of Clearwater Crimestoppers on Monday. [continues 394 words]
School District 73 has seen an increase in drug-related suspensions over the past few years, reports John Harwood, school trustee for the Clearwater-Blue River area. In 1997-98 there were 73 drug-related suspensions; last year there were 197 - -- nearly three times the number. It's a trend that has been seen across the province, said Harwood. There was no breakdown in the numbers to indicate if the North Thompson Valley was better or worse than the rest of the school district, he noted. [continues 109 words]
Police believe that there may be 20 to 25 sophisticated marijuana grow operations between Kamloops and Clearwater, according to Sgt. Steve Giesinger. "This is organized crime. This is bikers. This is Hell's Angels and their offspring," he said. The NCO-in-charge of the Clearwater RCMP Detachment was speaking to special session of the Clearwater Community Health Advisory Council on Wednesday evening. About two dozen CHAC members and other local residents were present. One example of what he was talking about was a grow operation in Barriere that police raided last May. [continues 546 words]
Police believe that there may be 20 to 25 sophisticated marijuana grow operations between Kamloops and Clearwater, according to Sgt. Steve Giesinger. "This is organized crime. This is bikers. This is Hell's Angels and their offspring," he said. The NCO-in-charge of the Clearwater RCMP Detachment was speaking to a special session of the Clearwater Community Health Advisory Council on Wednesday evening. About two dozen CHAC members and other local residents were present. One example of what he was talking about was a grow operation in Barriere that police raided last May. [continues 515 words]
