HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1997-05-21, Page 16s. haat memo a>tuOsIT t sy SI 1•07
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PHOTO BY DAVID $cOTT
RE I[ !-41ancy Holmes' Grade 1 class from St. James School retatxes in the suit Fnday tomer sighing out
theirboeka4romihe$Yforth Library. The class goes to the local library every two weeks to get new books to read.
Amusement
CONTINUED frommpage 2
by Jody Ouderkirk. an
employee of the amusement
park operation that was at the
Clinton fair.
Ouderkirk had been killed
in an accident since giving
his statement.
Brownlee and other offi-
cers drove to a mall in
Oakville where the :amuse-
ments wore being operated
un June 22. 1995 whore they
showed Ouderkirk a photo of
Mistie.
In his statement, he recog-
nized the girl .and said she
was one of throe who wanted
to tide the Cobra on June 2 -at
the fair.
Mistie was with a blonde
and. a brunette -haired girl.
Ouderkirk said one girl was
too drunk and wouldn't let
her on the ride. As a result,
he said the four of them had
argued.
Under cross-examination.
Brownlee said when police
are looking for suspects. they
usually present a person with
photos of different people
because presenting one photo
is suggestive.
In the case of a -missing
person. he said using one
photo is common practice.
He didn't ask Ouderkirk w
-describe the girl he saw or
what she was wearing.
Randy Shea.• a manager of
the amusement operation.
testified he saw Mistic with
three other people when they
were preparing to open the
operation the next day. June
3. 1995.
He said they were on the
fair grounds talking 10
Ouderkirk and another
employee. When Shea saw
them. he said he approached
them and asked the employ-
ees to get to work because
they needed to inspect the
rides and get ready to open.
The three girls and one guy
went and sat on a bench near
by. He identified Mistie by a
photo the police presented to
him in Oakville.
Undercross-examination,
Morris pointed out Shea's
statement to the police indi-
cated he saw the girl he iden-
tified as Mistic from his own
trailer at a distance. not that
he had approached them as
the testified that da}.
"I seen Mistic. They 'were
the only ones besides the car-
nival people there." he said.
• He said it didn't occur to
him to tell the police he had
approached her because he
always walks the midway as
part of his joh.
Tara McKinnon also placed
Mistie at the fair on June 3.
She knew Mistic from the
band and testified she saw
Mistic a short distance away
during a talent show. Mistic
was with a group of people
worker recognized Mistie
and was wearing her band
jacket and bpsuek.
She remembered thinking
Mistie was supposed lobe on
-a trip to Halifax at that time.
She didn't recognize any of
the others but said many of
theme had their backs to her.
Under cross-examination,
McKinnon said there are
about 70 to 80 people with
green band jackets like
Misue's.aod that many of the
girls wear make-up.
Sbe.said she was 70 per
-cent sure it was Mistie.
The next group of witness-
es placed Mistie in different
locations in London.
Robert Lynch. a St.
Thomas man. reported seeing
Mistie at a bus stop where he
gave her directions.
Lynch said he was coming
back from roller skating that
night and was waiting at a
bus stop at Dundas and
Adelaide when a -young girl
approached him for change
for the bus. -
. -1e .di-dn't have any -and
suggested she try the pool
hall nearby.
Shc disappeared for a
moment and came back, .ask-
-ing. • for directions . to
Stoneybrook. While the bus
didn't go there. it stopped
near and Lynch gave her
directions so she could walk
Lo that neighborhood.
They got on the huh togeth-
er and Lynch said h ,a; at
the back while Mistie sat near
the front.
The next day. he was read-
ing the London Free Press in
which there was a story and
photo of Mistie. He recog-
nized her as the girl from the
bus stop and told his wife.
then calltxt the police.
He said he was 98 per trent
WIC it was Mistic.
Under cross-examination.
Morris noted in a statement
to the police that Lynch told
them he offered to get the
change for Mistie. that -he •sat
near the front of•the bus and
that he saw the girl on
Thursday night. nut Friday as
he testified a few rninutes
earlier.
"There's a lot of mistakes
in there." Morris said.
Lynch suggesttxl the officer
misheard him:
Anne Akins of St. Thomas.
testified she saw Mistie cry-
ing on a bench in Masonvillc
Place in London on June 11.
Shc had also sen the Free
Press article on 'Saturday.
When she noticed a girl
crying. she pretended to use a
phone to. listen .and sec if
there was anything she could
do.
Akins approached the girl
and asked if she could help.
The girl Iookod up, said she
was all right and Akins rec-
ognized her from the newspa-
per photo.
She alerted secxrrity guands
and said the girl was leaving
the mall when they arrived.
She noticed.Mistie's dark
green jacket.
She called the police that
night.
Morris indicated discrepan-
cies in Akins description of
the coat in which she had
indicated it was a band jacket
while other times. said it was
'for a school.
• He suggested there could
be similar confusion about
the girl at the mall as there
was about the jacket.
Sarah Gilfillan was the last
to testify about seeing Mistie
and reported taking •her into
her parents' home where she
spent one night in the first or
second week of iune.
Gilfillan met Mistic in
Galleria Mall in. downtown
London:
The two were sitting at
separate tables having a pop
_ .and Gilfillan- went u,_sit with
her.
She didn't remember what
Mistie was wearing but said
the girl introduced herself as
.Mistie.
She told Gilfillan she was
from Goderich and that she
came to London because she
had had a tight with her par-
ents.
They walked around the
mall together and Gilfillan
invited her home for the
night.
She left the next day after a
shower. getting some new
clothes from Gilfillan and
having lunch.
It was around, March. 1997
when she said she met Anne
Murray who showed her a
poster and piewre of Mistie.
GiItillan•said if they took.
the hair off the most recent
photo of Mistic and placed it
un the second photo. both of
which were exhibits in court,
it was the girl who stayed in
her room.
Under cross-examination.
Gilfillan said it was her
mother who called Anne's
sister through a telephone
number un one of the missing
person's posters:
Gilfillan said Mistic told
her she didn't have a
boyfriend at the time and
didn't say much about her
life.
Gilfillan said she did say
she had an argument with her
parents after her mother
asked her "where something
was" and Mistic snapped at
her about it. The two had an
argument and Mistic left.
Greenspan has one witness
left to testify and both Morris
and Greenspan will offer the
closing remarks today.
Justice James Donnelly
told the jury he will likely
charge them on Thursday. A
verdict could be made any
time after that.
Day 11,
. 'Wedtsesday,'May 14
In the final shay of testietony
in the defense on, , a foal
witness testifies about the
Apnea Comm.
Lucio Odorico, who man-
ages logistics at the salt mine
in Goderich, testified he
keeps track of lall the vessels,
trams and trucks that come to
and from the mine.
• He testified the Agawa
Canyon was at the harbor on
May 31 from 3:20 a.m. until
0:3I p.m.
Witnesses had testified ear-
lier. in both the crown.and
defence ease. they were
unaware of the ship being in
the harbor that day.
Following that, several
agreed. statements of fact
were read in as evidence
including the number of ves-
__sels that eame-in and out of
the harbor that summer.
It was also agreed the first
article written about Mistie's
disappearance appeared in
the Goderich Signal -Star on
June 7. Gord Ferguson had
testified he learned of
Mistie's disappearance from
the newspaper about a week
after be helped Murray take
his boat out of the harbor.
Greenspan aisa read in an
agreed statement that the
Toronto Blue Jays lost their
baseball game on Sept. 29,
1995.
Kevin Adair, while being
cross-examined about his rec-
ollection of May 31. had
mentioned the Jays won their
game Sept, 29.
Greenspan produced a wel-
fare cheque cashed by
Jeremy Cook on June 1. He
testified he cashed it on May
31, the day Mistie failed- to
arrive at his apartment after
school.
The Crown and defence
made their summations that
day and Donnelly charged
the jury on Day 12, May 15.
P IHE-DDWALL
- This is one of the walls
approved'torparping newt*
Solicitor's request
C o UBD from page I
special meeting on the par
requested by the soliciter of
the owner... to purge the
sout arty exposed wall.of the
Box Furniture building and
the northerly exposed wall of
the Bee's 'Fashions building."
Minutes record. "no specific
building plans were available
at this time"
The soliciter's "request
noted the property has been
sold with a tentative closing
date of May 15 and that all
parties were interested in
seeking approval for the'
work prior to the closing
date.. (and) also noted the
insurance company has
agreed to have the walls
pard."
Clerk-iim° Crocker was pre -
by Seatorth Town Council.
noted property Iasi*
sent. as were LACitiC mom -
hem Kathy. Ferguson. Walter
Armor and Kathy Pietsch,
who .voiced some concerns
that the .work should include
rhertessary repairs to the walls
before ..parg ing ." meeting
minutes continue.
In the Seaforth cletkladmin-
istrator's report of :LACAC'e
special meeting to council
Tuesday night. last and a late
addition to the agenda.
Crooker said the municipal
office would contact the cul-
ture and recreation ministry
to discuss "experience with
this type of repair work, and
contact the other members of
LACAC to see if they concur
with the recommendation...
(and) discuss the issue with
the two building owners."
ENSAL.L
ISTRJCr
O.OPERATIVE
THURSDAY
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Starting Thursday May 15
for our customers in the
Zurich, Varna, Goderich
Clinton and $eatorth Area.
Please have your orders in
-by noon on Wednesdays.
For more information or delivery
CaII
819-236-7155 or 1-800-565-7155
Beasolffid
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