HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1983-09-28, Page 1L
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Single copy 35c
Published In Lucknow, Ontario, Wednesday, September 28, 1983
16 Pages
High speed car chase
results in policeman's death
A 25 -year veteran of the Ontario
Provincial Police was killed in a bizarre
accident in Goderich Township early
Sunday morning when a Town of Goderich
cruiser smashed the car he had stopped on
County Road 18.
Dead is Constable Bruce Kennedy Crew,
47, of 121 Nelson Street Goderich. A member
of the OPP for over 26 years, he came to the
Goderich detachment in 1965 after a few
years service in Kitchener.
The accident is still under investigation by
members of the OPP under the direction of
Inspector John Deslauriers of Toronto. A
statement issued by police Monday said that
Crew and Constable John Straughan, 38,
were assisting town of Goderich police
Constable Peter Mason in the apprehension
of a vehicle owned by Wayne McDonald, 23,
of U.R. 2 Lucknow at approximately 3 A.M.
Sunday.
The black Pontiac Trans Am was pursued
by Const, Mason east on Highway 8 and
Clinton Police responded to a call for
assistance by setting up a road block on
Highway 3 at Holmesville. The vehicle then
proceeded west on County Load 18 towards
Highway 21. Crew and Straughan, stopped
the vehicle three kilometres east of High-
way 21 at Porter's Hill. Crew approached
the vehicle and was about to remove the
keys from the ignition while Straughan
returned to the cruiser to infor=m dispatch
that the pursued vehicle had been stopped
when Mason came over a rise and slammed
into the McDonald vehicle, killing Crew,
who was standing beside it.
beslatiriers said Mason observed the
vehicle in town and continued to pursue it
outside the town limits while requesting
assistance, The Inspector said tha
Straughan and Crew happened to be in the
area on another occurrence when they
responded to the request.
Deslauriers and his investigating team
are still trying to determine how Crew was
hit.
"Constable Crew was out of the cruiser
and Constable Straughan was beside or
getting into the cruiser," he said. "We
haven t put all the pieces together."
Constable Straughan . was treated for
minor injuries while Constable Mason and a
passenger in the McDonald vehicle, Allan
Nicholson, 21, of R.R. 2, Lucknow, were
taken to Alexandra Marine and General
Hospital for treatment and later released.
Both the town and OPP cruiser and the
McDonald vehicle were damaged in the
accident. The vehicles were being examined
by a forensic team in the OPP garage.
beslauriers said no charges were laid in
connection with the incident but both
McDonald and Nicholson were given breath
tests following the accident.
Goderich police chief Pat King said that
subsequent to a meeting with OPP in-
vestigators and the crown attorney Monday
evening, it was determined that constable
Mason was not travelling at an excessive
speed and that the accident could not have
been avoided.
"The Clinton Police cruiser followed the
vehicle on County Road 18 but Constable
Mason, as agreed between them, overtook
the Clinton cruiser and continued to pursue
the vehicle," Chief King said. "The OPP had
radioed that the vehicle had stalled and had
been stopped. The dispatcher relayed that
message immediately to Mason but he came
on Porter's Hill in a matter of three seconds.
He tried to stop the vehicle and almost put
his own cruiser in the ditch."
Crew is survived by his wife Emily; one
daughter, Mrs. Carson (Emily) Milley of
Goderich and three sons, Stephen of Kit-
chener and Peter and Stuart both of
Goderich. A hill pollee funeral was held at
lrirst Presbyterian Church, Collingwood,
Wednesday. Members of the Goderich
detachemtn of the OPP and police from
across Ontario formed an honour guard for
the funeral,
Beef producers poll results
Results of an expression of opinion poll by
Ontario beef producers on whether to make
the Ontario Cattlemen's Association check-
off non refundable were announced today by
Dt. George Fleming, director of livestock
inspection, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture
and Food.
Of a total of 5,271 who cast ballots, 2,628
ot 49.9 pet cent voted "yes" and 2,643 of
50.1 per cent voted "no".
The vote was held September 14, 15 and
16 at each of the ministry's 54 county and
district offices plus one additional location in
each of five larger counties and districts.
Under the Beef Cattle Marketing Act,
one-fifth of one pet cent of the value of cattle
sold for slaughter is checked off for funding
the OCA. The fee is refundable at the
request of the producer.
Announcing the poll in June, Agriculture
and Food Minister Dennis Timbteil said he
would consider the legislation if two-thirds
of the producers polled agreed to make the
check -off non refundable.
M1 individuals, partnerships ot corpora-
tions who owned cattle for sale for beef
purposes between June 15, 1981 and June
15, 1983 were eligible to vote.
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Kathy Nicholson of West Wowa nosh and her son, Curtis, 9 months, narrowly escaped injury
when their ear Mew a rear tire as they were proceeding north on Huron County Road 1, just
south of t,ucknow. The car entered the east ditch where it flipped over. The accident occurred
on Friday afternoon+ about 3.30 p.m. (Sentinel Staff Photo'
Tim Becker of Lucianuw was the lucky winner of a 10 speed bicycle hi a promotion for the tall
fair sponsored by the Lucknow Agricultural Satiety. t had to he et the iota Nay night
when his name was drawn to qualify for the final draw and he had to beet the c cert
and Miss MidaWestern Ontario pageant on the Saturday night of the � dehe hie
when his name was drawn. (pap by Sem m D�j
Hosp. „
ital board members question
commitment to buildingproject
By Henry Hess
The plan to build a 51.4 million emergency
and outpatient department at the Wingham
and District Hospital remains a hot topic for
the hospital board of governors.
At last week's board meeting, a number of
questions were raised about the extent to
which the board has committed itself to the
project, as well as about the function of an ad
hot committee formed by the board to pave
the way for a community fund raising drive.
After hearing that the hospital has already
paid an architect more than $60,000 to draw
up plans for the new addition, Dr. Brian
Hanlon, newly appointed hospital chief of
staff, inquired whether the board considers
it good business to commit that much money
to a project for which it has not -yet secured
the full funding.
"11 you were going to build a house, would
you pay 550,000 in architect's fees and then
find you don't have the money to build the
house?
If the hospital has to shelve the project for
lack of funding, there is no guarantee it
would be able to use the same plans five
years down the road, he noted, particularly if
it changed architects.
The board had agreed previously to
proceed with drawing up plans and calling
tenders on the construction, at which time it
will make the final decision whether or not to
proceed with construction, At the start of the
meeting, Board Chairman Mary Vair
reported the architect's drawings are await-
ing Health Ministry approval, and the
project probably will not be ready to go to
tender until November 1.
At that rate, it would be the end of
November before the contract could be let,
which would postpone the start of construc-
tion until next spring, she said.
She added that this would not be a bad
thing, however, since it will give the board
more time to prepare its public relations and
fund raising campaigns.
Later in the meeting, following a report by
Vair on the activities of the ad hoc
committee, a question by board member
° Robert Pike sparked a lengthy discussion of
that committee's intended role in the project
as well as about the nature of a rift between
the hospital and the community.
Noting that the committee had been
formed by the board after a fund raising
feasibility study discovered a substantial
split between the hospital and the commun-
ity, Pike said it had been given the "very
Tarn to page 24
In the news
Thursday, September 15 was the second
last beginners' race in the new Holly Gully
Beginners Moto -Cross Series. Brian Olson of
Dungannon placed second m the Enduro
class. Brian also placed second in the
Enduro C class of the 11 -fully Gully House
league race held September 1
Bob Greer of Listowel shot a 69 to win the
IOW gross category during the end of season
tournament of the men's division at the
f.istowel (;!orf Club. September 1-7. Bob IS the
Son of ( larence and Marie Greer of
1 uck now
Kincardine detachment of the Ontario
Provincial Police are continuing, their
investigation into a theft of 12 - 15 heavy
cattle from the farm of Dave Plphick,
concession 1 of Huron Township on Sept-
ember 21. A stake truck appears to have
been used in the incident.
Kincardine OPP are also investigating a
break and enter at i ucknow Custom Weld
ing and Small Engines during the early
morning of September 22
No arrests have been made as vet in
relation to either c,in,e