deadmonton 2007 - other police matters

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miscellaneous matters in the metro area

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Not all police matters covered by these pages involve homicide.

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All the information presented on this page has been compiled from published media reports and should not be interpreted as having legal bearing or other prejudice against the individuals named on this web site.

Index

Miscellaneous memos from the crime desk -- in chronologic order.



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POLICE LINE: DO NOT CROSS

2007 - month by month


january | february | march | april | may | june
july | august | september | october | november | december


January 2007

Body Found In Apartment


Police investigated a body found in a downtown apartment that may have been lying there for nearly a month.


On January 2nd, 2007 tenants called the landlord of an apartment building at 10727 110 Street complaining of a bad smell in a second floor hallway. The landlord cleaned the hallway but two days later she got another call – this time the smell was worse and it seemed to be coming from a specific apartment.


When she opened the suite she knew it was the smell of death » full details »

January 2007 Crime Report

At Mac's, a knife | suspicious death in Queen Mary Park | high noon in Clareview | missing: Robin Douglas Goodwin | death at the Grand | van gets hammered | two men stabbed | tower jumper lands in hot water on a cold and clear night | wild wild west end shootings | police chase stolen ambulance | full details and more on the January 2007 Crime Report page.


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February 2007

Why Edmonton? Capital Punishment


On February 11th, 2007 the Edmonton Sun reported that a group of Calgarians planned to appear at the murder trial of Michael Briscoe and Joseph Laboucan as part of their effort to lobby the federal government to reinstate the death penalty.


Briscoe and Laboucan were charged with first-degree murder in the death of Nina Courtepatte.


The occasion marked the first instance in recent time that the issue of capital punishment was raised in connection with Edmonton's murder problem.


Interviewed by the Sun, Merle Terlesky said he represented a citizen group who felt that anyone capable of such a "horrendous" crime as Nina's murder should be punished accordingly.


For more about Terlesky's effort and the issue of the death penalty, visit the Why Edmonton? Capital Punishment page.

February 2007 Crime Report


Three Edmonton men wanted for Lloydminster shooting | disconnecting the cable guy | wanted: Clayton Victor Kahpeepatow | nine stabbed in separate incidents over Family Day weekend | public alert: Richard Craig Vanderwerff | wanted: Michelle Danielle Belcourt | wanted: Amine Mounzer Haymour | wanted: Theodore/Grant Ferguson | full details and more on the February 2007 Crime Report page.


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March 2007

Man Crushed Under Own Van


A 74-year-old man was apparently crushed to death by his own van after trying to free it from a slushy alley.


On March 16th, 2007 neighbours found the man pinned under his maroon, full-sized GMC van in the alley behind his house near 92B Avenue and 69th Street. A witness told the Edmonton Sun he rushed to the van when a friend noticed someone pinned beneath it. He found the driver's side door open and the man, chest down, trapped under the vehicle.


"It looked like he'd been dragged," the man said. "[A leg was] wrapped up in the undercarriage of the driver's side."


Staff Sgt. Brad Manz said no one witnessed the accident. "Early indications would lead us to believe that perhaps he was run over by his own vehicle" » full details »

Body Found Near Creek


Receding snow in an Edmonton nature area revealed the body of a dead man on March 18th, 2007.


Several people walking their dogs at about 2:45 p.m. along Whitemud Creek, about a kilometre south of the Snow Valley ski facility, came across a body partially buried in the snow.


Police were called to the scene and Acting Sgt. Curtis Rind said the man appeared to be a transient in his fifties.


Seven weeks after the man was found, authorities still didn't know who he was and appealed to the public for help » full details »

Man Found Tied Up and Dead


A man returning to his home at 11202 95 A Street at about 6:30 a.m. on March 20th, 2007 found his roommate tied up and dead. A 911 call from inside the home brought Emergency Medical Services.


Paramedics attending the scene thought the circumstances were suspicious and they called police. First officers on the scene then called homicide detectives and the house was turned over to a forsensics team.


A source told the Edmonton Sun that investigators were looking into the possibility that the man may have died accidentally on his own. Police did not give any details about the state of the body and also did not comment on early media reports the man was found "tied up."


An autopsy held March 21st, 2007 on the 56-year-old man, who died in his bedroom, was inconclusive » full details »

A Gathering of Angels


The last weekend of March 2007 had some Albertans seeing red as Angels appeared in the province's two largest cities.


As the American-based Guardian Angels graduated their first training class in Calgary and held an organisational meeting in Edmonton, two police chiefs and one mayor were less than welcoming the news of their arrival.


The citizen volunteer street patrol group had been eyeing chapters in both cities for some time. Now that they're up and running, many residents were asking what the Guardian Angels are all about and what their impact on local crime might be » full details »

Body Found On Manning Drive


Edmonton police closed off a section of Manning Drive northbound after responding to a call that a man's body had been found just north of 167th Avenue. The discovery was made just before 2:00 p.m. on March 25th, 2007 by a group of people who noticed the body lying several metres west of the roadway.


Homicide detectives were called in but it was soon determined the man's death was non-criminal in nature » full details »

March 2007 Crime Report


Body found on Manning Drive | a gathering of Angels | body found near creek | man crushed under own van | man shot outside troubled bar | a thousand rounds | full details and more on the March 2007 Crime Report page.

March 2007 Be On The Lookout For Report


Wanted: Tri Van Tran | wanted: Tommie-Rae Paul Marsh | wanted: Garrret Liam Wilde | wanted: Arthur Brown | wanted: transit station muggers | full details and more on the March 2007 Crime Report page.


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April 2007

Missing: Kenneth Thomas Myatt


81-year-old Kenneth Thomas Myatt left his southside condo near 78th Avenue and 108th Street at about 6:30 a.m. on April 1st, 2007 and hasn't been seen since.


It was his usual habit to take walks at that time of day but when he hadn't checked back with his family by 8:10 a.m., they contacted police.


A police spokesperson said the man was in good physical health but suffers from Alzheimer's. They said they were concerned for his safety due to the return of cooler temperatures some 15 degree Celsius below normal » full details »

Edmonton's Most Wanted


Beginning April 5th, 2007 Global Edmonton began running an "Edmonton's Most Wanted" feature during its supper hour news on Thursday evenings.


Viewers are shown two to four profiles each week of those most sought by Edmonton police.


For over two decades, Global Edmonton has been part of the area's Crime Stoppers program by providing production assistance.


Armchair detectives can now keep an eye out for the bad guys and take a bite out of local crime with the aid of Global's latest version of a video rogues gallery » full details »

Pavan Chohan


On the evening of April 6th, 2007 a man and some of his friends were walking near 42nd Avenue and 38th Street at about 10:00 p.m. when they came across an injured man lying on the sidewalk. Nearby, an empty Co-op cab was running.


Police and emergency medical personnel arrived and quickly determined the 61-year-old man was the cab's driver and he had been beaten by his fare. Within 35 minutes a man approached one of the police cars and got into the back seat.


Unknown to police at the time, the body of Stephanie Rae Butler lay dead inside her house. She was discovered by her father the next day when Stephanie's husband Michael asked the man to check on her welfare.


The cab driver was taken to University of Alberta Hospital with severe life-threatening head injuries. He remains there in a medically-induced coma » full details »

Suspicious Death of 19-year-old


Just before noon on April 7th, 2007, emergency medical personnel were called to the Newton Place apartment block at 5608 118 Avenue. There they picked up a 19-year-old woman and transported her to the Royal Alexandra Hospital. She died shortly after arriving at the facility and police were called.


"It just didn't look quite right, so they gave us a call," said homicide Det. Brian Robertson.


Robertson did not specify what didn't look right other than to say it always raises suspicions when a young person dies suddenly » full details »

April 2007 Crime Report


Man found dead in recovery home | suspicious death of 19-year-old | cab driver beaten | full details and more on the April 2007 Crime Report page.

April 2007 Be On The Lookout For Report


Wanted: Brian Donald Reid | wanted: Gary Lee Wescott | wanted: Tony Tran | missing: Kenneth Thomas Myatt | wanted: Harley Whitestone | Edmonton's most wanted | full details and more on the April 2007 Crime Report page.


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May 2007

House Fire Claims Two


Shortly after 7:00 a.m. on May 2nd, 2007 firefighters responded to a call at 10120 160 Avenue in the city's Castle Downs subdivision. There were no visible flames, but condensation on the windows told them a fire was likely smouldering inside.


As firefighters went in the back door of the home they found a man in his 80s on the kitchen floor and a man in his 50s on the floor near the front door. The older man was declared dead at the scene. The younger man was later pronounced dead in hospital » full details »

Michael Dar


A couple of drinking buddies left a house party near 94th Street and 179th Avenue shortly after midnight on May 12th, 2007 to go look for a friend who had gone in-line skating.


One man got behind the wheel of a Ford Ranger pickup truck while the other probably thought he could better search from the vantage point afforded by sitting on the truck's box cover.


The man was launched from the back of the truck after it negotiated a slight bend in the road. He hit the side of a brand new Ford F-150 before landing on the asphalt.


A 23-year-old man was pronounced dead in hospital a short time later. Police were withholding his name pending notification of next of kin but the Edmonton Sun published his name when family members complained he was unfairly portayed in the media as a foolish drunk » full details »

May 2007 Crime Report


Suspicious death in west end | gunplay at Fever nightclub | Michael Dar | man throws wife onto highway | body found in basement | house fire claims two | full details and more on the May 2007 Crime Report page.

May 2007 Be On The Lookout For Report


Missing: Gordon John Barker | missing: Robert (Bobby) Samuel Neale | public alert: Rupert Ward | full details and more on the May 2007 Crime Report page.


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June 2007

Wild Time In Westwood


Just before 5:30 p.m. on June 5th, 2007 police received several calls reporting gunfire ... and two cars smashing into each other.


The automotive roller derby seemed to have begun after an argument near the intersection of 105th Street and 119th Avenue in the Westwood neighbourhood.


Gunshots were exchanged and one car rear-ended the other, afterwhich the vehicles left in different directions. Police found one of the damaged cars near 123rd Avenue and 106th Street, the other at 119th Avenue and 102nd Street » full details »

Guns For Freedom


The manslaughter sentencing hearing for William Edward Wharry Jr. opened with an Agreed Statement of Facts being entered into the record.


Wharry was convicted of shooting Sara Easton in the face in October 2005.


The statement spoke as much to Wharry's past as it did to a previously unknown practice of the Edmonton Police Service: trading guns for freedom » full details »

Naked Man Dies In Police Custody


Police have released few details about the cause of death of a 39-year-old man who died while in their custody.


The incident began when officers responded to a report of a fight between a man and a woman. When police arrived, the man involved in the altercation was found naked on his neighbour's roof. He then tried to jump from one house to another ... but missed and fell about 20 feet to the ground » full details »

June 2007 Crime Report


Naked man dies in police custody | violence mars Sudanese cultural gathering | wild time in Westwood | full details and more on the June 2007 Crime Report page.

June 2007 Be On The Lookout For Report


Missing: Lese Mollel | full details and more on the June 2007 Be On The Lookout For Report page.


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July 2007

Woman's Body Found Floating In River


At approximately 4:35 p.m. on July 1st, 2007 a group of boaters discovered the body floating in the North Saskatchewan River just north of Township Road 560, approximately 15 kilometres downstream from Fort Saskatchewan.


Police identified the victim as 44-year-old Norma Jane McNeil. When found, the woman was only wearing a t-shirt and underwear » full details »

Woman Shot By Police In Inglewood Neighbourhood


A woman was taken to hospital after being shot by a police officer in the Inglewood neighbourhood northwest of downtown.


When police arrived to investigate a landlord-tenant dispute at about 7:30 p.m. on July 6th, 2007 a woman came out of a top-floor suite and approached a female officer in a "threatening manner" with a knife.


A male constable then fired a single shot at the woman. Witnesses said the bullet struck her in the chest » full details »

July 2007 Crime Report


Stabbing at the Ranch | man stabbed in Inglewood | woman shot by police in Inglewood neighbourhood | woman's body found floating in river | full details and more on the July 2007 Crime Report page.


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August 2007

Missing: Jessy Alain Lessard


The Edmonton Police Service issued a public appeal for help to locate a 29-year-old man who is well known in sports circles.


Jessy Alain Lessard went missing June 13th, 2007 from the area of 137th Avenue and 127th Street. Since that time Lessard has not contacted friends or relatives who said it was very unusual for him to be gone for this length of time without anyone knowing.


"We're at a loss," said a police spokesman who also noted foul play was not suspected. "There's nothing to suggest at this time that there's anything criminal in nature."


While at first police did not consider Lessard's disappearance to be suspicious, all that changed on August 25th, 2007 when the Edmonton Sun reported the martial arts athlete had been placed on a Project KARE bulletin » full details »

Dramatic Fall Spawns Dramatic Escort


A 9 metre fall off a community league building sent a seven-year-old boy to hospital. But what seemed to make the news was a dramatic high-speed police ambulance escort.


Global Edmonton repeatedly aired footage of a not uncommon but rarely caught on camera sight: six police cars and a patrol officer clearing the way for the ambulance en route to hospital.


Global made the most of their video, even later interviewing an Edmonton police spokesman to justify additional airings of the footage » full details »

Booklover Found Dead Again?


Readers of the Edmonton Sun's August 31st, 2007 online edition were startled when a story appeared that seemed to indicate a man had died a second time at the same house.


The Sun did not re-print the story online on September 1st, nor did it appear in their home delivery edition of the same day. The story was also not reported by other media outlets.


The Last Link is still awaiting email response from the Sun to clarify the story that eerily echoed another suspicious death in the same house six months before » full details »

August 2007 Crime Report


Booklover found dead again? | dramatic fall spawns dramatic escort | man nearly beaten to death | full details and more on the August 2007 Crime Report page.

August 2007 Be On The Lookout For Report


Wanted: Willie Gilbert Badger | missing: Jessy Alain Lessard | full details and more on the August 2007 Be On The Lookout For Report page.


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September 2007

Burning Man Found


Police were summoned to investigate the unusual case of a man's burning body found near the riverbank south of the downtown Oliver neighbourhood.


"It's odd because people don't usually start on fire so we're looking into what it is. We've got the fire investigators, we've got arson coming – that's all we've got at this time," reported Insp. Teri Uhryn as she briefed media at the scene » full details »

September 2007 Crime Report


Burning man found | teen stabbed in Mill Woods Park | downtown shooting possible payback? | hamburger thieves run into hot dog | full details and more on the September 2007 Crime Report page.


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October 2007

Missing: Jason Freedom Adam


Edmonton police have asked for the public's assistance in locating a 29-year-old man missing since October 21st, 2007. The man lived in Lac La Biche but was visiting Edmonton at the time of his disappearance.


Jason Freedom Adam's disappearance was considered to be unusual, and his family and police were concerned for his well being. He was last seen outside the Shaw Conference Centre downtown » full details »

October 2007 Be On The Lookout For Report


Missing: Jason Freedom Adam | full details and more on the October 2007 Crime Report page.


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November 2007

Human Remains Found Near Vegreville


On November 3rd, 2007 Vegreville RCMP responded to a complaint of partial skeletal remains discovered in a wooded area approximately 25 kilometers west of Vegreville. Investigators are revealing little about the manner and cause of death of the person.


On November 14th RCMP released several photographs of articles of clothing found near the body which may or may not be directly related to the discovery » full details »

Charred Body Found In Dumpster


Fire crews were called to the south end of the Greyhound Bus station building at 103rd Street and 102A Avenue at about 5:30 a.m. November 22nd, 2007 to attend to garbage bin engulfed in flames.


Once personnel attacked the blaze they discovered the body of a dead person inside the container and called police » full details »

Man Dies In Alley


Police were called in to investigate the discovery of a body found just north of the downtown area.


The body had been found face down by a woman driving to work at about 7:30 a.m. November 28th, 2007. After checking for a pulse, the woman called police » full details »

November 2007 Crime Report


Man dies in alley | charred body found in dumpster | human remains found near Vegreville | full details and more on the November 2007 Crime Report page.


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December 2007

Frozen Finds


In the week before Christmas 2007 RCMP detachments south of Edmonton found themselves dealing with a trio of hypothermia victims within a three-day span. Lorne Allan McKenzie, Shane Michael Applegarth and Matthew Goodrunning were discovered frozen or near death » full details »

Missing: Wyona Hobart


Police alerted the public that on December 28th, 2007 a senior with a history of depression was last seen at a doctor's appointment and was considered missing.


72-year-old Wyona Hobart was last seen at University of Alberta Hospital. She was described as 5-feet 10-inches with a thin build, dyed brown hair and wearing glasses » full details »


December 2007 Crime Report


Shooting outside karaoke bar | frozen finds | full details and more on the December 2007 Crime Report page.

December 2007 Be On The Lookout For Report


Missing: Wyona Hobart | wanted: Calvin Stanley Ballantyne | wanted: Verne Bruce Johnson | wanted: Tristin Handley Kaiser | wanted: Kelly Wayne Lemke aka Kelly Wayne Nattress | wanted: Michael Lorne Lenheiser | public alert: Christal Lena Deines | wanted: Jaideep Singh Gill | Mounties hunt hooded hood | full details and more on the December 2007 Crime Report page.


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