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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2001-01-24, Page 1January 24, 2001 Si (includes GST) OPP report Man hearing voices heads to work with gun ora may have been in danger if police hadn't stopped a Vanastra man in Mitchell as he headed to work with a gun in his car. The incident occurred Jan. 10 but police did not release information immediately because they believed it should remain confidential under the Mental Health Act. Officers were since instructed to make the information available if there were any media calls about the matter but it was never issued in their regular media releases. "Family members had called about a person, concerted about his mental stability, said community services officer Don Shropshill. "1{e "was' showing signs of mental strew"Family members called police around 5 a.m. to report a concern that the Man was leaving for work and that he had a gun with him. Fly the man,in his late 3�was hearing voices and was going to confront those voices. Shropshall said police were concerned employees could get caught in the middle of the conft+antaOion. They would not release the name of the business. The Stratford Beacon Herald reported the employee worked at FAG Bearings, where layoffs had occuned just prior to the hxidCnt However,Shropshall add, "He wasn't upset with staff or the business. He wasn't ppa of the layoffs.." Seidngville OPP were called and stopped the man in IvfitchelL `The firearm was found and amnema�ioti. That was immediately," said adding am further , armitian and to own firearms seized fmm his home. He is currently being 1d for a 30 -day evaluation and Will appear in Goderich court on Feb. 19. 4 Inside... Pooh honoured... Page 2 4 Bowing raw Pol.S Page S Death threat weapon sees student charged Goderich student may have had hit list against classmates By Scott Hilgendorff and Matt Shurrie Expositor, Signal-StarStaff Goderich District Collegiate Institute school officials insist the high school remains a safe place after a 16 -year-old student was suspended last week and charged Monday with uttering death threats against other students after a rumoured hit list was found. "The only issue that is of any concern to the school was a threatening note and that's it," said GDCI principal Ted Doherty. "Anything else that (people) have heard is probably untrue. "Who the audience (of the note) was intended for is uncertain. We don't have the individual rights to make decisions on whether it was just a kid writing his thoughts or whether it was something more serious." But Huron OPP community services officer Don Shropshall said, "I can't say there wasn't a list." offender, he said, "The young Rumours began to circulate lad was very emotionally last Wednesday (Jan. 17) upset with a number of after a report was made to the people." OPP's liaison officer at the On Wednesday, the liaison school that a student had officer, Greg Moore, made threats. By last Friday, responded quickly to an alert there were stories circulating of the threat and by 11 a.m., among students and parents the student had been detained of a connection to a city gang and held for a 72 -hour and that bomb making psychiatric evaluation before materials and a hit list were a Monday bail hearing at found in the student's locker. which he was further held for While Shropshall could a 30 -day evaluation. neither confirm or deny the "It has been determined existence of a list of students this young man needs help," to be targeted by the young said Shropshall. Scott Hilgendorff photo I wouldn't be caught dead in that!!! Kassie Hoegy and Greg Medd were among the Seaforth District High School students who took part in 1 wouldn't be caught dead in that' Day. (See Page 12 for more photos) He said no bomb making material or plans for bombs were found in any lockers during the police investigation and he doesn't believer there is any truth to the rumours about an affiliation with a gang from an Ontario city. "I'm not going to say there's gang activity involved," he said. "Of course, that rumour is noted to us and we're looking at it." When asked how potentially dangerous this See PRINCIPAL, Page 2 Communities could pay more for policing By Scott Hilgendorff Expositor Editor Huron OPP representatives were expected at Huron East council last night to clarify issues surrounding a new OPP contract that could see taxpayers paying more for policing, based on the number of calls in their wards. While Seaforth has maintained an enhanced level of service with officers dedicated to 20 hours of patrol and availability to the town each day, rural municipalities have traditionally not had to pay for policing. However, policy changes are now seeing council faced with a choice of either charging for the cost of policing based on assessment or basing it on the number of calls each ward receives, now that Seaforth has amalgamated with four other, rural municipalities. "Seaforth has to go to the level we had or we have to go to the level they have?" asked Coun. Larry McGrath of Tuckersmith Ward, one of the four rural municipalities, at a Jan. 16 committee of the whole meeting. Council could choose an option that would see rural residents paying, through their taxes, an amount based on the number of calls OPP responded to in that ward. OPP would submit a bill for all of Huron East and it would be up to the municipality to divide it up amongst the taxpayers. Overall, council is faced with an increase of about 25 per cent for the cost of policing. Councillors were concerned they did not have enough information to make a decision about what kind of contract to obtain. Coun. Joe Seili of Brussels Ward was worried the wrong kind of contract could mean having to pay for extra services when there is a major investigation. "If they have to bring in a special unit from Timbuk Two to do search and rescue, you're going to pay by the hour," he said, worried that major investigations may not occur but once every five years but that they are also beconting more common. If a murder requires numerous officers for three months of investigation, he said, "You could be putting the 'for sale' See PROPOSALS, Page 5 Collisions with deer total 305 in z000 Poor deer hunt may not have helped reduce growing population By Scott Hilgendorff Expositor Editor There were 305 collisions with deer marking the third year in a row the number has increased and OPP are counting on motorist to stay more alert to help reduce those numbers. In 1998, there were 160 deer/vehicle collisions but in 1999, that rose to 240, making up 1/3 of all the collisions that occurred in the county. In 2000, there were 305, making up 1/4 of all the colljfions that occurred that year. "The increase of traffic volume on our roads, urban development and the increase of deer herds are factors in the increased number of collisions," said OPP community services officer Don Shropshall. "Over the last several years, mild winters have increased the deer population in the area and has seen deer contacts with people occur more often," said Shropshall. While there's no way to know exactly how many deer are out there in the county, Mike Malhiot a biologist with the Ministry of Natural Resources in Clinton said the numbers have been going up, particularly in the past two years. Part of how they gauge this comes from the annual deer hunt in November. Hunters are required to submit reports after the hunt which includes how much contact they have from deer and how many deer are killed. The number of deer that hunters have seen has gone up in the past two years. "Deer density is quite high," said Malhiot. This fall, the provincial government approved, for the fourth year in a row, a second gun hunt for the county. While hunters could only go out once either during the first six- day hunt in the first week of November or the second in the first week of December, the extra hunt was hoped to reduce the deer population. However, after the first day of the December hunt, a winter storm moved through and poor conditions with deep snow made hunting difficult. ` There was so much snow, hunters lost interest," said Malhiot. Preliminary data into the success of this past fall's hunting season is expected in March but Malhiot See SECOND, Page 7 Your community newspaper since 1860