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Times-Advocate, 1988-11-23, Page 36• 1 Page 20A Times -Advocate. November 23, Complaints Dear Sir: It is with a disgusted attitude 1 write to you, in regards to the cov- erage in the court section of your newspaper. The misinformation re- ported was shocking. • A psycologically sick person with a lengthy criminal record as-' saulted my wife, and beat her very badly, to the point of a concussion. I can not.go into details..Not only did he do this but threatened my life. All in all this sick man had rights and the legal process had to .tfike its course. During this time we were told the accused had rights un- der the law but the victims did not. During the due process of law our home was stalked by this sick indi- vidual who became obsessed with my wife Charmaine. One evening when I was working night shift this man broke into my home while my • family slept, and confronted .my wife. The police took him away and the judge released him on a proba- tion order that he stay away from Crediton and my family. He contin- ued to stalk our home, leaving sub- tle hints that he was watching. Our neighbours, who were awareof what was going on were also be- coming extremely upset and ner- vous. Finally he was apprehended at our home in the middle of thenight in a stolen car. When this case came up in court, • a number of charges were.dropped. The crown attorney was asked that our names not be published, but again it appears victims have no rights. Not only. was this informa- tion published, but with substantial errors. This sick person, who was, in his mind', in love with my wife, thought my son was his son, my house was his house and wrote to my wife calling her by his surname caused a tremendous amount of psy- cological damage which will take a long time to overcome. The information reported did nothing to help this situation, in fact caused further damage. A few days ago we celebrated Re- membrance Day, for the first time without my father, who passed away when this nonsense was go- ing on. A man who fought for the freedom, we, in Canada, supposedly enjoy. Yet the criminal clement have rights the ordinary citizen, and victims do not. This is a disgusting 1988 about court fact of everyday life, which we must reluctantly accept, no matter what the lost. Honesty, hard work and integrity seem to evaporate leaving little left. To you sir all t can do is vent my frustration via this letter, and I look forward to a well written response in the next issue of your paper. Sincerely, John Bierling, Crediton, Ontario. A misunderstanding result- ed in last week's court report in which Stanton Francis Wilson of RR 3, Exeter was sentenced to 18 months in jail. The information used in the article was taken from the Crown Attorney's report. It was incorrectly stated that Charmaine Bierling of Credi- ton was his girl friend. Mrs. Bierling told the T -A, "I want it made clear that I.was not. He wanted me to be his girl ' friend, bui I was not." The Bierling referred to in -the story to whom Wilson is to make restitution for a sto- len vehicle is Charmaine's husband and not father. The T -A apologizes for any inconvenience or embarass- ment..which may have bccn caused: Dear Sir: Your paper carried a report (No- vembcr • 16) about an arca man sen- tenced to 18 months...In the report there were some inaccuracies, but generally it was truc to facts. For 1 was there, as I had been at a bail hearing in Godcrich earlier on. And a lot went through my mind. . 1 thought of the Dutch methods of law enforcement. For in Holland the cruel handcuffs have disappeared long ago and more humane methods to restrain a person are applied, in- stead of keeping someone in hand- cuffs for 9 hours! . I thought of the way the Dutch police solve 72 percent of all charg- es by negotiating between accused and victim and never bring them to court. Their prisons have less than 25 percent of the number we keep in prisons, and the police sce them - Lots o1 ideas - Alma Turnbull, formerly of Grand Bend, demonstrated the many thoughtful yet inexpensive gifts that can be made at home. Her demonstration was part of the Prelude to Christmas" program sponsored by the ladies of Exeter Bible Fellowship and held at the Three AAAs Re- staurant. rime Stoppers Once again the Christmas sea- son is upon us. Unfortunately, along with the joy and happiness at this time of year also comes grief and disappointment. 7 Crime Stoppers and your local police forces would like you and your family to have a safe and crime -free holiday season. Here are' some helpful crime -proofing tips: •When you are out Christmas shopping, lock your car doors and place any parcels you might have in the trunk. •If you don't have a trunk, make sure tfe items arc covered over with a blanket or in some other manner. •Never display large amounts of cash while shopping. ' •Don't leave your purse or bags unattended in your shopping cart. 'When you leave your residence, make sure your neighbours know where you have gone and how long you will be away. 'Place lights and radios on timers and make your home look occu- pied. •Don't hide Christmas rpresents and Christmas cheer in outside hid- ing places such as your garage or shed. Crime Stoppers and you local police forces hope that these tips will help make your holiday season safe and crime -free. If you have information about a crime which has already happened or is about to happen, call Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1.800-2*S- 1777. We pay cash for clues,gp to', S1,000 for tips which lead td an arrest. You will never have to re- veal your identity, nor testify in court. selveshas the friends and counsellors of the comthunity. A prisoner gets regular "leaves" from prison. Pris- ons are "twinned" with Old Folks Homes e.g., with visits both direc- tions. Police are very humane. I brought this young man out of prison in July .1987, and he came with me to the Exeter arca late in August. He. did not know anyone and he felt that everyone was look- ing at him, for he had been in pris- on. He was craving for friendship, for visits to homcs, but very few in- deed were forthcoming. The nature of his disease made people appre- hensive. He often acted as a nine year old, and he never saw the seri- ousness of his actions. No othcr churches came forward to help (In Holland all churches work with prisoners and former in- mates). He had been released from prison without any Half -Way House, without any programme, without any constructive guidance plan by the police. And so it fell on me to be his only friend, to take him on hikes, on visits to other- towns, thertowns, to play checkers with him, io sit with him in the night when he often had nightmares, and was afraid, and screamed. When thc monotony of the big old house got to him, we would wrestle a bit, or go for a coffee. I sent even registered letters to our government agencies pleading for help, and received neat little re lies Our readers write report that said nothing. I went to one M.P.P. All praised me, no one i helped. Whenever' we walked through Ex- eter, he would remark: Cannot you sec it, they all hate me! I replied that it was not so. His sick mind drove him to more irresponsible acts, and I alone could not stop it. One night he sat down and sobbed like a child: "Teddy, how did it hap- pcn that I will have to go to prison again?" The stranger has left; safely locked away. Nobody was worried about his future! - As he was taken away, handcuffed ansl chained as a big murderer, 1 heard him say: "Thank you, Teddy, for all- you did!" And I must thank one ithful Christian man, Tom, who' ame to visit him! Sincerely, (Rev.) K: Teddy Smits, - • Grand Bend * *. * Dear Sir: Someone'rcally did -goof, And it's no spoof. In your paper last weck, It's the right name we seek. Our local picture taker Is a real name maker But faces he doesn't know How to match the names to show. Viv, we've done it again Your name sake I'll remain Getting mixed up is quite a joke You and I know who we are; I hope. Marion Kerslake Part of the program - Jana Lynn Turnbull (left) was soloist and Ruth Furseth, London was guest speaker at "A Prelude to Christmas" sponsored by the ladies of Exeter Bible Fellowship and held at the Three AAAs Re- staurant. Sports Spotlight by Wayne Proctor A report published in the November 11 London Free Press said a Quebec govemment task force is recommending the end of organized minor hockey for kids younger than 12 years old or the Novice and Atom Divisions, because it felt the kids don't know. how to dcal with the pressures of game "situations." I found this report really quite surprising. Quebec is a province were the kids thrive on hockey. Perhaps too much so and that is why the task force is recommending the end of minor hockey for the kids. One thing that really surprised me about the outcome of their find- ings was that the committee included several current and former Na- tional Hockey League stars, which I thought would have been morc sympathetic to the kids of today. They said the pressure of dealing with game situations was too great on pre -teens. Don't try telling that to Joel Campbell, who at 13, was good enough to make the Junior D Exeter Hawks this sea. xi. Where would he be playing today if he didn't start minor hockey until he was12? The task force said that hockey should be taken up in class rooms physical education classes in the schools. I think this would be a grave mistake if it ever happened here. I think a players' skill devel- opment would be greatly hindered if that ever happened because of improper coaching. I'm sure gym classes are fine for other sports, but hockey is a more demanding • sport in terms of skills, which needs proper development from coaching, especially for younger players. I agree with Exeter Minor hockey president Tom McCann, who said that it is highly unlikely that the Ontario Hockey Association will ever adopt that policy. Hockey is more of a religion in Quebec, (just look at the Canadi- ens-Nordiques rivalry) so I imagine that the pressures on kids over there, are Much more than they arc in Ontario. For example, they play in Many more tournaments than their Ontario counterparts. Some Quebec kids play in 125 games, while Ontario kids play in only two tournaments. I never played minor hockey as a kid, just baseball, so I can't re- late to those kids like I should. But from what I have seen covering minor hockey in two towns if there is pressure on the kids it is placed on them by the parents. In most cases the parents get more excited watching the games than the kids do playing it. And some coaches must win at all costs which is a crying shame because some take it out on the kids when they don't. But most kids I have seen look forward to their games and have fun while playing. In my opinion Quebec can do away with orgainizcd hockey for kids under 12, butplease don't let it happen here. especially for the kids' sake. Emergency 911 coming EXETER - The Emergency Health Services Study Committee of Huron and Perth have put into motion the first steps to providing a 911 System for the arca. The Committee has invited the Fire Chiefs, Police Chiefs and Mu- nicipal Representatives of Huron and Perth to a meeting on Novem- ber 30 to be informed on how a 911 System can be implemented in Hu- ron and Perth Counties. Don Croucher from the Minister of the Solicitor General's office is making a presentation to the group and an attendance of approximately 100 -persons is expected. The Committee is very positive in its approach to having a 911 System established in Huron and Penh and feels that this initial step in obtaining all the information necessary is a crucial link to having ouble by Bruce Shaw few weeks ago, Jim Beckett posed nine questions for which he would like answers. The answers arc No; Per- . haps; Yes; 4500; Yes, but; not on your life; some arc and for some yes; that's tough; could happen. Good ques- tions, Jim; keep them coming. For those of you who' re- member Jim's questions and find no problem with my answers, don't bother reading this column for two weeks. For the rest of you, perhaps some explanation is in order. Crossing guards The first question asked concerned the crossing guard and the erec- tion of a stop light at the corner of Main and Victoria streets. It is the Town's responsibility to hire, if it seems fit, a crossing guard. Council has seen fit to do so and will undoubtedly continue to pro- vide this service. The police and parents have called and said the present guard is forceful and effective but has missed performing her duties three times because of illness. When she is ill, the police as- sume her tasks and will do unless they are called out for other emer- gency duty. On occasion the Chief has acted as -crossing guard. But, we still believe a 'presence' must be at that corner. The problem lies in the fact, however, that nothing can be done without Ministry of Transportation and Communications approval because highway. #4 is the King's Highway (shouldn't that be Queen's now?). We have written to the Ministry and met with Jack Riddell, but we have not, • to this point, received much encouragement as to what we might consider as reasonable options. I personally don't think we need an- other traffic light on'Main Street, and I'll explain the reasoning for that later. What we need there are suitable signs, signals and warn- ings to indicate children arc crossing. We need to.educate motorists, both those in Town and those pass- ing through, that there is -no margin for error with our young peo- ple. To that effect, with or without Ministry approval, we will erect suitable equipment which we think'meets our needs, and we will be sending out a flier with all January tax notices advising everyone of the need to drive with particular care in these areas. (Incidentally, Andy DeBocr has created a sign for the crossing guard which will definitely attract the attention of drivers. We hope to have it in her hands this week.) Main St. Development The second question asks if uncontrolled strip mall devcloptnent will have an adverse effect on our core area. The question presuppos- es that there might be 'uncontrolled development'. 1 think that un- controlled development is bad for all elements of Exeter. When we talk about the 'core', we have.a different definition ilia did sever- al years ago. At one time, planners referred to the arca hound by Gidley, Andrew, Huron and William as the core, and it was hoped that commercial growth would take place in that section of Town, but we realize that retailers want Main St. exposure, and so the core is now referred to as the length of Main St. which. has a predomi- nance of retail outlets rather than residential. Those of you most af- fected have seen the 'core' move north from Gidlev to Victoria and on to Wellington and the bridge. We may not like what is happening, but when residences arc sold to commercial interests, and developers apply for change in zoning, there is little anyone can do to block such moves. Indeed, many would suggest that developers be encouraged to convert R zones to C zones. 'Uncontrolled' may mean uncontrolled use, and when wc think that onlya few years ago, for instance, just one bake shop made donuts one or two days a week, it is at least surprising that now you -can buy donuts every day of the week, 24 hours a day, and they can be purchased in at least 9 locations. Add to that another new store that sells nothing but donuts, we ask, how ridiculous? But, these retail- ers think -they can prospe'r`s shoufci-wc as` iiu ions"ir�tci fe �1�8 3t we do so, what would our reasons be? Interesting question; Jim. Recreation costs The third question dealt with recreation costs and Exeter's house- hold levy as compared to othe municipalities. Much of the discus- sion between Exeter and its neighbours has centred on shared recrea- tion costs. There is no doubt, wc spend considerably,pnore than anyone else on recreation, although Stephen is close. We do, of cotuse, have the facilities here, and we do receive the benefit of con- siderable sums being left in our community, but we (10 spend a great deal of money oA recreation. Is it too much? Measure the worth and benefit gained by our young people; evaluate the pleasure derived by adults as participants and fans. 1 don't think we spend too much. More next weck. - the system installed smoothly. Exeter Police Chief Larry Hardy +------ and Fire,Chief Gary Middleton will attend along with a number of inter- ested council thembers. Christmas Bureau • EXETER - This Christmas sea- son the Huron County Christmas Bureau and South Huron District High School are starting in their own community to aid need fami- lies in their area. South Huron District High School's Athletic Council will be collecting "White Gift" donations from Exeter and surrounding areas. The athletic council's aim is to collect one dollar and a canned good from each student at South Huron. Your donations would be greatly app' Christmas goos up The Exeter PUC once more joined other area mu- nicipalities in putting up Christmas decorations. Dennis Hockey was up in the aerial bucket on Monday, getting the lights and streamers in perfect trim. '