A Vancouver cop testified Wednesday that United Nations founder Clay Roueche told him gangland murders would continue shortly before a fatal shooting in Burnaby in 2008.

Sgt. Dave Colton told B.C. Supreme Court Justice Janice Dillon that he was part of the regional gang task force on May 9, 2008, when he pulled over Roueche’s van in Port Moody near where the Bacon brothers were living.

Colton said he had a casual conversation with Roueche about the ongoing violence and what could be done to stop it.

Colton said he raised the issue of the public being at risk if the UN gang was bent on seeking revenge for the murder of popular member Duane Meyer the day before.

And he told Roueche that if the violence was going to happen, it would be better if it did not occur in a public setting.

Roueche, who is now serving a 30-year sentence in the U.S., told him the violence would continue and suggested police would respond the same way if an officer had been killed, Colton said.

“That’s the way that it is,” Colton quoted Roueche as saying.

Crown David Jardine wants the Roueche comments admitted as evidence of a conspiracy between Roueche and his UN brethren to kill the Bacon brothers and their Red Scorpion associates in retaliation for the Meyer hit.

Related

• Cory Vallee murder trial: Trucker testifies about seeing man run up to car shooting

“Roueche’s statement was made in response to the question what can stop the violence and specifically the homicides,” Jardine noted.

“Roueche’s response indicating that the homicides would continue was a candid — and the Crown submits — matter-of-fact defiant confirmation that the existing conspiracy to kill the Bacon brothers would be further pursued.”

Alleged UN gangster Cory Vallee is charged with conspiracy to kill the Bacons, as well as the first-degree murder of Bacon associate Kevin LeClair in February 2009.

Cory Vallee in photos issued by police in 2011.

Defence lawyer Eric Gottardi said Roueche’s statement should not be allowed into evidence at the judge-alone trial.

“Its probative value is nil and its prejudicial effect is high,” he said, adding that the casual comments were not part of formulating or carrying out the murder plot.

Less than two hours after Colton pulled Roueche over, stereo installer Jonathan Barber was gunned down in Burnaby as he was driving a Porsche belonging to one of the Bacons.

Several UN members and associates have admitted they were hunting Red Scorpions that night and mistook Barber for one of the notorious brothers. Dillon has already heard that there had been two other shootings in Burnaby linked to the gang hours before Barber was killed.

Roueche has been named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the same case, but has never been charged.

Dillon reserved her decision on whether to allow the Roueche statement into evidence at the trial.

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blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

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Johnny “K-9″ Kroitoru was a colourful former wrestler, bit actor and biker who pleaded guilty in 2013 to conspiring to kill the Bacon brothers.

He was also a devoted family man on the verge of being reunited with his wife and kids after years in prison.

But now that family is planning his funeral instead of a homecoming party.

Kroitoru died Tuesday in the Toronto halfway house where he had been living since his release from an Abbotsford prison in September.

His wife, Tracy, said she can’t stop crying since learning of his death.

“All he wanted was to change his life and be a better man and father,” she told Postmedia on Wednesday. “I know he made some horrible decisions in his life, but he paid for that big-time. He was a good man to those that knew and loved him.”

Their youngest child was born after his 2009 arrest in the murder conspiracy.

“He was so excited to be with his seven-year-old daughter Tia. He spoke to her on the phone everyday. This is heart wrenching,” Tracy said.

John Kroitoru (left) meets UN founder Clay Roueche in 2009.

She still doesn’t know the official cause of death, but suspects it was a heart failure.

Correctional Service Canada’s Ontario spokesman Kyle Lawlor said both the police and coroner will be investigating.

“Mr. Kroitoru passed yesterday afternoon at the Keele Community Correctional Centre. As in all cases where an individual dies while in custody, the police and coroner are called in to investigate. The coroner will provide their report to the Coroner’s Office, who will determine if their office will put forth an inquest into the death of an offender,” he said.

“CSC reviews the circumstances surrounding these incidents and take whatever action as required. We take the death of an inmate very seriously. The loss of a life is a tragedy at any time.”

Tracy Kroitoru said the CSC wanted her husband moved to Ontario after he was granted day parole. That kept him further from her and the kids, who live in Metro Vancouver.

He was supposed to be moved back to B.C. in May, she said.

“We have been waiting here for his return home,” she said.

Johnny ‘K-9’ Kroitoru and wife Tracy.

Kroitoru, 53, was known for his sense of humour. Even some in law enforcement got along with him.

But he also had a 20-year criminal history even before he was charged in the B.C. murder conspiracy, as the Parole Board of Canada highlighted last summer.

“Your file clearly documents the history of assault, extortion and drugs. File information notes that you have worked as an enforcer and debt collector for an organized crime family and that you were the subject of a criminal investigation in a double homicide. Charges were withdrawn in that case. You were also the president of a notorious motorcycle gang,” the board said in an August ruling.

“Your file reveals a man that engaged in a criminal lifestyle for over 20 years, associating with like-minded individuals that possessed entrenched criminal attitudes and pose a very real risk to public safety.”

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• UN gang founder told cop the violence would continue right before murder
• REAL SCOOP: Two men with UN links to be released from prison
• Judge accepts sentence recommendation for Bacon murder conspirators
• Bacon brothers ‘had it made and chose another path’

The board also noted that Kroitoru had completed programs to aid his reintegration.

“To your credit, the board notes that you have a stated desire to change and that family is important and that you will not return to criminal activity.”

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

There was interesting testimony at the Cory Vallee trial Wednesday though it may not end up being evidence in the case.

The Crown called Vancouver Police Sgt. Dave Colton, who testified about a conversation he had back on May 9, 2008 with Clay Roueche during a traffic stop in Port Moody.

It was a frank discussion about the tit-for-tat gang slayings. Roueche apparently told the officer that the murders would continue.

Prosecutor David Jardine says the conversation shows the UN Gang’s intention to continue on with the conspiracy to commit murder – a conspiracy, he argues, involved Vallee.

Vallee’s lawyer Eric Gottardi said the conversation is hearsay, doesn’t meet the standard to be admitted as evidence and should be excluded.

Here’s my story:

A Vancouver cop testified Wednesday that United Nations founder Clay Roueche told him gangland murders would continue shortly before a fatal shooting in Burnaby in 2008.

Sgt. Dave Colton told B.C. Supreme Court Justice Janice Dillon that he was part of the regional gang task force on May 9, 2008, when he pulled over Roueche’s van in Port Moody near where the Bacon brothers were living.

Colton said he had a casual conversation with Roueche about the ongoing violence and what could be done to stop it.

Colton said he raised the issue of the public being at risk if the UN gang was bent on seeking revenge for the murder of popular member Duane Meyer the day before.

And he told Roueche that if the violence was going to happen, it would be better if it did not occur in a public setting.

 

Roueche, who is now serving a 30-year sentence in the U.S., told him the violence would continue and suggested police would respond the same way if an officer had been killed, Colton said.

“That’s the way that it is,” Colton quoted Roueche as saying.

Crown David Jardine wants the Roueche comments admitted as evidence of a conspiracy between Roueche and his UN brethren to kill the Bacon brothers and their Red Scorpion associates in retaliation for the Meyer hit.

“Roueche’s statement was made in response to the question what can stop the violence and specifically the homicides,” Jardine noted.

“Roueche’s response indicating that the homicides would continue was a candid — and the Crown submits — matter-of-fact defiant confirmation that the existing conspiracy to kill the Bacon brothers would be further pursued.”

Alleged UN gangster Cory Vallee is charged with conspiracy to kill the Bacons, as well as the first-degree murder of Bacon associate Kevin LeClair in February 2009. 

Cory Vallee in photos issued by police in 2011

Defence lawyer Eric Gottardi said Roueche’s statement should not be allowed into evidence at the judge-alone trial.

“Its probative value is nil and its prejudicial effect is high,” he said, adding that the casual comments were not part of formulating or carrying out the murder plot.

Less than two hours after Colton pulled Roueche over, stereo installer Jonathan Barber was gunned down in Burnaby as he was driving a Porsche belonging to one of the Bacons.

Several UN members and associates have admitted they were hunting Red Scorpions that night and mistook Barber for one of the notorious brothers. Dillon has already heard that there had been two other shootings in Burnaby linked to the gang hours before Barber was killed.

Roueche has been named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the same case, but has never been charged.

Dillon reserved her decision on whether to allow the Roueche statement into evidence at the trial.

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

His family had been hoping to reunite with Johnny Kroitoru in May of this year when he was supposed to be allowed to return to B.C. from an Ontario halfway house.

But the strongman serving a sentence for conspiracy to commit murder died Tuesday afternoon, likely of natural causes.

He had claimed he wanted to start fresh and stay on the straight and narrow. Now he won’t get that chance.

Here’s my story:

He was also a devoted family man on the verge of being reunited with his wife and kids after years in prison.

But now that family is planning his funeral instead of a homecoming party.

Kroitoru died Tuesday in the Toronto halfway house where he had been living since his release from an Abbotsford prison in September.

His wife, Tracy, said she can’t stop crying since learning of his death.

“All he wanted was to change his life and be a better man and father,” she told Postmedia on Wednesday. “I know he made some horrible decisions in his life, but he paid for that big-time. He was a good man to those that knew and loved him.”

 Their youngest child was born after his 2009 arrest in the murder conspiracy.

“He was so excited to be with his seven-year-old daughter Tia. He spoke to her on the phone everyday. This is heart wrenching,” Tracy said.

She still doesn’t know the official cause of death, but suspects it was a heart failure.

Johnny ‘K-9’ Kroitoru and wife Tracy.

Correctional Service Canada’s Ontario spokesman Kyle Lawlor said both the police and coroner will be investigating.

“Mr. Kroitoru passed yesterday afternoon at the Keele Community Correctional Centre. As in all cases where an individual dies while in custody, the police and coroner are called in to investigate. The coroner will provide their report to the Coroner’s Office, who will determine if their office will put forth an inquest into the death of an offender,” he said.

“CSC reviews the circumstances surrounding these incidents and take whatever action as required. We take the death of an inmate very seriously. The loss of a life is a tragedy at any time.”

Tracy Kroitoru said the CSC wanted her husband moved to Ontario after he was granted day parole. That kept him further from her and the kids, who live in Metro Vancouver.

He was supposed to be moved back to B.C. in May, she said.

“We have been waiting here for his return home,” she said.

Kroitoru, 53, was known for his sense of humour. Even some in law enforcement got along with him. 

John Kroitoru (left) meets UN founder Clay Roueche

But he also had a 20-year criminal history even before he was charged in the B.C. murder conspiracy, as the Parole Board of Canada highlighted last summer.

“Your file clearly documents the history of assault, extortion and drugs. File information notes that you have worked as an enforcer and debt collector for an organized crime family and that you were the subject of a criminal investigation in a double homicide. Charges were withdrawn in that case. You were also the president of a notorious motorcycle gang,” the board said in an August ruling.

“Your file reveals a man that engaged in a criminal lifestyle for over 20 years, associating with like-minded individuals that possessed entrenched criminal attitudes and pose a very real risk to public safety.”

The board also noted that Kroitoru had completed programs to aid his reintegration.

“To your credit, the board notes that you have a stated desire to change and that family is important and that you will not return to criminal activity.”

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

Abbotsford Police issued another warning about the on-going gang conflict that has left several dead and wounded in recent months.

Const. Ian MacDonald said in a news release Friday evening that police are worried that there could be collateral damage as the rival groups continue shooting at each other in public places across the Lower Mainland.

“Despite aggressive enforcement and prevention campaigns, police and the communities in which they serve continue to grapple with the negative impact to public safety that this conflict has created,” MacDonald said.

“It is not just a possibility that those engaged in the conflict will become victims of the violence but, increasingly, it is a likelihood. Furthermore, the APD is concerned that those who associate with individuals involved in the conflict are putting themselves at risk.”  

Abbotsford Police responded to a shots fired call Monday morning and found a young man fatally wounded. The man, who died from his injuries, was identified today as 23-year-old Satkar Singh Sidhu.

He said it is common for police to provide warnings to gang members that they are in danger.

“Far less common is that we would extend our warning to friends, families and associates of these gang members. This is one of those times,” he said. “In the strongest possible terms, we must emphasize that it is not safe to be in the company of those involved in the Lower Mainland Gang Conflict. Although this may appear to be common-sense advice, we believe that now it could also be a life-saving decision that we need you to make.”

Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton, of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said the anti-gang agency is working with police departments and detachments across the region to stem the violence.

“When incidents of violence take place on our streets, it puts innocent members of our communities at risk, and when you associate with individuals with ties to organized crime, not only do you jeopardize the safety and security of the public, but also that of your own life,” Houghton said. 

Anything with information about the conflict should call the APD Gang Tip Line at 604-864-4777

Police rarely issue public warning. They started to do so in May 2008, at the height of the gang war between the United Nations Gang and the Bacon brothers and their Red Scorpion associates.

Another warning was issued after Jonathan Bacon was gunned down in Kelowna in August 2011 and police said those then aligned with Bacon in the Wolf Pack were at war with others associated to Sukh Dhak and the Duhre brothers. Sandip Duhre was then shot to death at Vancouver’s Wall Centre in January 2012 and Dhak was killed in another targeted shooting in Burnaby in November 2012.

Surrey RCMP and Delta Police have also issued the warning after the gang violence escalated in those cities in 2015.

I was back out at the Fraser Valley Institution today for killer Kelly Ellard to have another hearing before the Parole Board of Canada to try to get temporary releases from prison to take her baby to appointments.

Last month, two board members couldn’t reach a decision on Ellard’s case, so she had a new hearing to figure out the same issue. This board took just five minutes to decide to grant Reena Virk’s killer four escorted temporary absences a month of up to four hours each.

She is now in her mid-30s and it’s almost 20 years since Virk was brutally killed. But Ellard remains a very controversial criminal.

Here’s my story:

Reena Virk was 14 years old when she was killed in November 1997.

Killer Kelly Ellard granted escorted releases from prison with her baby

ABBOTSFORD — Notorious killer Kelly Ellard will be allowed to take her young son to appointments and activities in the community, the Parole Board of Canada decided Monday.

Board members Alex Dantzer and Jim Hart said that while Ellard continues to minimize her role in the 1997 murder of teen Reena Virk, she has taken responsibility and her risk in the community can be managed.

Dantzer read a summary of the board’s brief decision after about five minutes of deliberations.

He said Ellard’s behaviour in prison has been good for years now and that her community management team believed the “escorted temporary absences” would be beneficial for both Ellard and her young son, who was born about four months ago.

He said Ellard was clearly remorseful for the vicious beating and drowning of Virk under a Victoria bridge when Virk was just 14 and Ellard was 15.

 

“It would be hard to exaggerate the nature and brutality of the index offence,” Dantzer said, calling it “very, very disturbing.”

But he noted the progress Ellard has made by taking special programs and counselling. She is now considered a low risk to reoffend. 

“There hasn’t been any violence for many, many years,” Dantzer said.

Ellard will be allowed to leave the Fraser Valley Institution with Correctional Service Canada staff or approved volunteers up to four times a month for four hours each over the next three months. She will take her baby to medical appointments and other activities to socialize her son.

Last month, two other board members were split on whether Ellard should be granted the trips, leading to a second hearing Monday to resolve the issue.

Ellard assured the board that she didn’t get pregnant on purpose and was not trying to use her child to get special privileges.

When she found out she was pregnant after a conjugal visit with her criminal boyfriend, “I was in shock and I was very scared,” Ellard said. “I chose to keep the child. It was a very hard decision.”

Dantzer asked her about her relationship with the baby’s father, who has now been returned to prison after violating his parole conditions.

While he wasn’t identified Monday, PostMedia earlier revealed he is a gang associate named Darwin Dorozan.

Ellard said Monday that if the new allegations against her “partner” prove to be true, she will sever ties with him.

“I have no choice but to do my own thing and do the best thing for my child,” she said.

The board members heard that Ellard had actually been on more than 100 temporary absences without incident prior to the Correctional Service Canada rules changing in 2015.

Dantzer asked to recount the night she and other teens attacked and killed Virk under the Craigflower Bridge in November 1997.

She admitted she threw the first punch that night and later rolled a bloodied and unconscious Virk toward the water, where she drowned.

She continued to deny the version of events presented in court by her co-accused Warren Glowatski, who said Ellard held Virk’s head under the water.

But she told Dantzer that Virk would still be alive today if Ellard had not done what she did that night.

“I don’t blame anyone else for my actions,” she said.

She said her biggest fear is that while out in the community a member of the media will photograph her and the baby.

If that were to happen, “there is nothing I can do but ask … to leave,” she said.

Ellard has been in prison or pre-trial custody for about 15 years. In 2005, she was sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for seven years. She now lives in a minimum security unit and is part of Correctional Service Canada’s mother and child program.  

A mother-child common room is pictured in the Annex of the Fraser Valley Institution in Abbotsford, B.C., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017.

Ellard was denied day parole last May, but said Monday she now feels ready for it.

“I am not made of glass. I am not as breakable as everybody thinks,” she said.

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

There is a lot of talk south of the border about non-citizens with criminal records being ordered deported. The reality is the same thing is happening routinely in Canada as we saw with the recent deportation of UN gangster Barzan Tilli-Choli.

We found this interesting ruling by the Federal Court of Canada Chief Justice about a Rwandan refugee who’s been in B.C. since 1994. Despite getting refugee status, he has now been ordered deported for a long criminal history.

Here’s my story:

Vancouver refugee with 54 criminal convictions argues to be freed

He punched his ex-girlfriend in the face, and he has randomly attacked strangers. He has also been convicted of sexual assault and carrying a concealed weapon — an axe.

As a result, Lunyamila has been deemed too dangerous to stay in Canada and ordered deported to his native country — believed to be Rwanda.

But he remains here after failing to sign the necessary documents that would allow him to be sent back to the African nation. 

The Immigration and Refugee Board had ordered him released from jail, saying it was unfair to hold him indefinitely despite his criminal history.

But Federal Court of Canada Chief Justice Paul Crampton has now ruled that Lunyamila must remain in custody pending his removal from Canada.

Crampton said that Lunyamila is manipulating the situation by refusing to cooperate with efforts to deport him.

“To permit a detainee who is a danger to the public or who poses a flight risk to manipulate and frustrate the operation of the law, as Mr. Lunyamila is attempting to do, would be to allow the detainee to essentially take the law into his own hands,” Crampton said in his ruling. “This would undermine the integrity of our immigration laws and public confidence in the rule of law.”

And Crampton added that “parliament cannot have intended that the freedom to roam the streets of Canada, and to go into hiding to avoid removal to one’s country of origin, could be procured in this manner by persons who pose a danger to the Canadian public or others who do not wish to cooperate with a validly issued removal order.”

Crampton’s ruling was issued Oct. 27, 2016, but only released Tuesday. Lunyamila’s legal team has already filed an appeal.

The B.C. provincial court’s online database lists 73 entries for Lunyamila dating back to 1997.

Some of his crimes are petty — failing to appear in court, theft under $5,000, possession of stolen property, breaches of court-ordered conditions.

But there are more serious convictions, as Crampton noted, including 10 for assault. Lunyamila’s problems with alcohol and drugs were often contributing factors.

He was first ordered deported in August 2012 after an immigration adjudicator ruled he was inadmissible because of his criminality.

Two years later, after he was convicted of sexual assault, the federal government decided “Lunyamila constitutes a danger to the public in Canada,” Crampton noted.

He was first placed in detention in June 2013, then released briefly in September 2013.

“But was rearrested within a few days after he breached one of the conditions of his release. He has been in detention ever since,” Crampton said.

From the fall of 2013 until January 2016, monthly detention reviews were held.

“In each or most of those decisions, significant weight appears to have been given to the fact that he was not cooperating with the requirement of Rwandan authorities that he sign a declaration related to the acquisition of travel documents,” Crampton said.

Then in early 2016, another immigration board member released him, saying “the fact that there is no identity documentation at this point makes removal look very, very distant, if possible.” 

But Crampton has now set aside all the immigration decisions ordering Lunyamila released.

“The decisions of the Immigration Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board to release Mr. Lunyamila were all unreasonable. Moreover, the terms and conditions set forth in those conditions were unreasonable, as they would not have sufficiently addressed either the danger or the flight risk posed by Mr. Lunyamila.”

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/blog/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

B.C. gangster Jarrod Bacon told a parole board he feared that he would be killed if forced to live in a halfway house after his release from prison last month.

But a Quebec parole board member still decided Bacon must stay in a community residential facility for the safety of the public, according to documents obtained by Postmedia.

“You believe a residency condition will put you at risk to be killed, just like the others residing in a transition home that are easy to locate,” board member Michel Lalonde said.

Bacon raised the murder of his elder brother Jonathan in Kelowna in 2011 as proof he could be targeted.

But Lalonde wasn’t buying it.

“You are not the first one with that type of criminal background called to face the issue. It is obviously a stressful situation. However, this is the direct result of choices you made in your life and you are the only one responsible for it,” Lalonde said. “It is not for every law-abiding citizen in this society to bear this part of the risk associated to your release in the community.”

Jarrod Bacon was convicted in 2012 of conspiracy to traffic cocaine after being caught in a sting by undercover police. He was sentenced to 14 years, minus time served, for a net term of seven years, two months.

He reached his statutory release date in February after serving two-thirds of his sentence. That is the point at which almost all inmates get released.

But in Bacon’s case, the Correctional Service of Canada recommended that the parole board impose the special condition that he reside in a halfway house.

Lalonde agreed.

“Considering your criminal background and given your involvement in violent acts within the context of a criminal gang, this condition will remain in force until the end of your sentence,” he said.

Lalonde said Bacon’s file indicated that he is “a member of the Red Scorpions and the Bacon brothers and described as having considerable influence on the gang environment in British Columbia. Links to the Hells Angels are also reported.”

He noted that Bacon was moved to a prison away from B.C. because he was a “high-profile” inmate.

Bacon maintained those criminal connections while serving his sentence, Lalonde said.

Related

• Former UN associate dies in halfway house months before reuniting with family
• UN gang founder told cop the violence would continue right before murder
• Cory Vallee murder trial: Trucker testifies about seeing man run up to car shooting

“You maintained connections with inmates affiliated with the HA and/or were involved in illicit activities. You explained that you simply and naturally connected with English-speaking inmates.”

He also mentioned “a serious event” in prison in December 2015 between the HA and a group called “the Jamaicans.”

“You were seen partaking in a discussion with members and associates of the HA,” Lalonde said. “Your potential for violence was also highlighted following an altercation with another inmate in 2012. Your opponent suffered significant facial injuries and had to be hospitalized.”

On the positive side, Bacon took courses aimed at reducing his risk to reoffend, the ruling said. He studied French and first aid and had a prison job.

Lalonde noted that “you plan on keeping your distance from your former lifestyle, namely by starting a new life in (name blanked out).”

“Your parents wish to support you emotionally and financially.”

Several names and locations were redacted in the documents provided to Postmedia.

Last year, two other parole board members reviewed Bacon’s file and denied him early release.

At the time, he said he didn’t want an in-person hearing that “could attract media attention.”

Bacon was raised in Abbotsford by his parents David and Susan, along with his younger brother Jamie and his late brother Jonathan.

In April 2009, Jamie was charged with conspiracy and first-degree murder in the Surrey Six slayings — the October 2007 gangland slaughter that left six dead, including two bystanders.

Jamie Bacon’s trial has been delayed several times and is now scheduled to start next year.

Jonathan Bacon was shot to death in Kelowna in August 2011. His alleged killers go on trial starting May 1.

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

A few years ago, the Bacon brothers were considered a major threat across the Lower Mainland. On May 31, 2008,  anti-gang police issued an extraordinary public warning, saying anyone close to the Bacons might get caught in the cross-fire in an out-of-control tit-for-tat gang war.

Since then, Jamie Bacon has been arrested for murder and is still awaiting his trial. Jonathan Bacon has been murdered and his accused killers are going to trial in May. And Jarrod Bacon was caught in a police sting, convicted and sentenced.

Jarrod, now 34, reached his stat release date in February. So I got ahold of his parole documents and found that he was  ordered to live in a halfway house for the final one-third of his sentence despite his objections. 

The location of where he has was redacted from the documents for security reasons.

Here’s my story:

Notorious Bacon brother Jarrod released into halfway house

Jarrod Bacon and his mother, Susan having lunch, October 26th, 2009 during a break at the Surrey courthouse.

 

I did a follow to my story about Jarrod Bacon being released to a halfway house now that he’s reached statutory release. Police here say it’s a good thing that he’s not coming home any time soon.

There are still people around the Lower Mainland linked to the old conflict between the Red Scorpions and the United Nations gang. So it’s probably  safer for Bacon and everyone else that he remains away.

Here’s my story:

B.C.’s anti-gang police think the climate of gang violence in the Lower Mainland will be cooler with one of the notorious Bacon brothers living in a halfway house in another part of the country.

Postmedia revealed Thursday that Jarrod Bacon received his statutory release from prison after serving two-thirds of his sentence for conspiracy to traffic cocaine.

But the Parole Board of Canada ordered him to remain in a community correctional facility in another province.

Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton said the fact that Bacon is not in B.C. is good news for the gang situation here.

“I think it could be argued that him not physically being here may help to keep conflicts he may currently or used to have in a calmed state,” Houghton said. “I would, however, reiterate that the importance of being somewhere has been significantly diminished with the growth of social media, phones, etc.”

Bacon, his brothers and their Red Scorpion gang were involved in a deadly gang conflict with the United Nations gang that raged across the Lower Mainland for several years.

Houghton, of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said that if Bacon really wants to change his life and “completely disassociates himself from gangs and organized crime, he can live pretty much anywhere.”

“That said, just like anyone, his past choices and lifestyle may come back to haunt him. Those are the ramifications of the choices he made,” Houghton said.

Bacon, now 34, was arrested in November 2009 and charged in a massive drug conspiracy after an undercover investigation that used a police agent. The agent got Bacon involved in a fake deal to purchase 100 kilograms of cocaine.

Bacon, who testified that he was a gang “enforcer” but not involved in the drug trade, was convicted in 2012 and sentenced to 14 years in jail minus time in pretrial custody for a net sentence of seven years, two months.

Quebec parole board member Michel Lalonde said that it was safer for the community if Bacon moved to a halfway house after his statutory release date. The location of Bacon’s new residence was redacted from parole documents for security reasons.

Bacon had argued to the board that being forced to live in a specific location would increase the risk to his life.

And he raised the fact that his elder brother Jonathan was gunned down in Kelowna in 2011 as proof he could be targeted. 

Jarrod Bacon leaves Surrey Provincial Court after the hearing of his brother Jamie Bacon.

However, Lalonde said Bacon’s situation was not unique — other criminals had also been worried about their safety after their release.

“It is obviously a stressful situation. However, this is the direct result of choices you made in your life and you are the only one responsible for it,” Lalonde said. “It is not for every law-abiding citizen in this society to bear this part of the risk associated to your release in the community.”

He said Bacon’s criminal background and gang links justified the condition that he remain in a halfway house for the final third of his sentence.

Lalonde also imposed other conditions that Bacon not have any criminal associations, that he provide financial records to his parole officer, and that he stay away from bars and other drinking establishments.

Bacon’s younger brother Jamie remains in pre-trial custody after being arrested in April 2009 and charged with conspiracy and first-degree murder in the Surrey Six slayings.

Last fall, Jamie Bacon’s lawyers said they were considering an application to have the charges against their client thrown out because of the long delay in getting to trial.

But on Thursday, Crown spokesman Dan McLaughlin said such an application has not yet been filed.

Jamie Bacon’s trial has been delayed several times and is now scheduled to start next year.

Jonathan Bacon’s alleged killers go on trial starting May 1.

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

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United Nations gang founder Clay Roueche complained in a jailhouse phone call that his enemies were probably thrilled that he had been arrested in the U.S.

Some of Roueche’s intercepted calls were played this week in B.C. Supreme Court at the trial of accused UN gang killer Cory Vallee.

“I bet the other guys who are trying to do things to me are probably having a big dance right now,” Roueche said to his girlfriend.

The woman agreed.

Roueche said he was frustrated that his enemies were free while he had been arrested.

“I don’t understand how it works like that. These other guys can go around doing all these things and then they pick on me.”

At the time of the call, UN gangsters had been locked in a bloody gang war with the Bacon brothers and their Red Scorpion gang.

Vallee is charged with conspiracy to kill the Bacons and other Red Scorpions over several months in 2008 and 2009. He is also charged with first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Bacon associate Kevin LeClair in Langley in February 2009.

Roueche has been named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Bacon murder plot.

Related

• UN gang founder told cop the violence would continue right before murder
• Cory Vallee murder trial: Trucker testifies about seeing man run up to car shooting

He said to his girlfriend in one of the calls that he didn’t understand how he could be charged in the U.S. but not in Canada.

“And whatever is going on up there, it’s my country — just send me to my f***ing country to deal with my own shit and not sit down here,” he said.

He sounded mostly upbeat in the calls, although he said several times that “They are going to hang me down here.”

His woman friend repeatedly broke down and cried, but also told Roueche not to worry about her.

The two appeared to talk in code at times, referring to his “bros” by first initials only or by nicknames like “Ugly” and “Lazy.” Their calls were regularly interrupted by recorded messages saying: “This call is from a federal prison.”

The girlfriend also said Roueche’s arrest was “all over the news” and that one TV station had broadcast photos of his parents and kids.

“Are you serious?” he asked. “They can put pictures of me all they want. If they put pictures of my family and those I care about I am going to sue their ass.” 

Clay Roueche inphoto at Coleman Prison, Florida. Must credit: Special to the Vancouver Sun. [PNG Merlin Archive]

“The two other people should have lawyers to make sure they don’t get brought down here,” Roueche advised.

He said he didn’t yet have details of the conspiracy case against him, but believed it was weak.

“Sometimes things happen and you don’t know what the hell is going on,” he said.

“I personally look at the stuff and I can’t really see there being much to it, you know. I think it is all based on hearsay. I don’t know how shit works down here. But I think the people who said my name don’t personally know me. They probably just heard about me.”

Less than a year after the intercepted calls, Roueche pleaded guilty in a Seattle courtroom to conspiracy to export cocaine, import marijuana, and money laundering. He was sentenced to 30 years in jail.

Several other UN gangsters and associates have already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kill the Bacons.

Vallee’s judge-alone trial before Justice Janice Dillon is expected to last until June at the Vancouver Law Courts.

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

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Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com.

Intercepted phone calls that were part of the police investigation into the United Nations gang were played this week at the Cory Vallee murder trial. I sat in Thursday and heard some interesting conversation between Clay Roueche, right after his arrest in the US in May 2008 and his girlfriend at the time.

The Crown is trying to show the relationships between the conspirators at the time, some of whom have now been convicted. Roueche was trying to be upbeat in the calls, but was also worried they were going to “hang” him in the US. In fact he got a 30-year sentence the following year.

Here’s my story:

United Nations gang founder Clay Roueche complained in a jailhouse phone call that his enemies were probably thrilled that he had been arrested in the U.S.

Some of Roueche’s intercepted calls were played this week in B.C. Supreme Court at the trial of accused UN gang killer Cory Vallee.

“I bet the other guys who are trying to do things to me are probably having a big dance right now,” Roueche said to his girlfriend.

The woman agreed.

Roueche said he was frustrated that his enemies were free while he had been arrested.

“I don’t understand how it works like that. These other guys can go around doing all these things and then they pick on me.”

At the time of the call, UN gangsters had been locked in a bloody gang war with the Bacon brothers and their Red Scorpion gang.

Vallee is charged with conspiracy to kill the Bacons and other Red Scorpions over several months in 2008 and 2009. He is also charged with first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Bacon associate Kevin LeClair in Langley in February 2009.

Roueche has been named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Bacon murder plot.

He said to his girlfriend in one of the calls that he didn’t understand how he could be charged in the U.S. but not in Canada.

“And whatever is going on up there, it’s my country — just send me to my f***ing country to deal with my own shit and not sit down here,” he said.  

Clay Roueche in recent photo at Coleman Prison, Florida

He sounded mostly upbeat in the calls, although he said several times that “They are going to hang me down here.”

His woman friend repeatedly broke down and cried, but also told Roueche not to worry about her.

The two appeared to talk in code at times, referring to his “bros” by first initials only or by nicknames like “Ugly” and “Lazy.” Their calls were regularly interrupted by recorded messages saying: “This call is from a federal prison.”

The girlfriend also said Roueche’s arrest was “all over the news” and that one TV station had broadcast photos of his parents and kids.

“Are you serious?” he asked. “They can put pictures of me all they want. If they put pictures of my family and those I care about I am going to sue their ass.” 

She also told Roueche that he had been identified in the media as a “kingpin drug lord” and that there were references to other associates also indicted in the U.S. case.“The two other people should have lawyers to make sure they don’t get brought down here,” Roueche advised.

He said he didn’t yet have details of the conspiracy case against him, but believed it was weak.

“Sometimes things happen and you don’t know what the hell is going on,” he said.

“I personally look at the stuff and I can’t really see there being much to it, you know. I think it is all based on hearsay. I don’t know how shit works down here. But I think the people who said my name don’t personally know me. They probably just heard about me.”

Less than a year after the intercepted calls, Roueche pleaded guilty in a Seattle courtroom to conspiracy to export cocaine, import marijuana, and money laundering. He was sentenced to 30 years in jail.

Several other UN gangsters and associates have already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kill the Bacons.

Vallee’s judge-alone trial before Justice Janice Dillon is expected to last until June at the Vancouver Law Courts.

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

Homicide investigators are probing two suspicious deaths in Richmond and Abbotsford.

Just after 5 p.m. Friday, an Abbotsford resident found a dead man on a rural property in the 4500-block of Ross Road.

Several Abbotsford Police units and the Integrated Homicide Team attended and are investigating the incident.

:We are in the early stages of this investigation; however, the initial indications suggest this death is suspicious in nature. This appears to be a targeted incident,” Sgt. Judy Bird said in a news release.

She said IHIT was taking the lead in the case.

Meanwhile IHIT Cpl. Meghan Foster released the identity of a man found dead in Richmond in the 22000-block of Fraserwood Way Thursday.

Allen William Skedden, a 52-year-old Delta resident, was last seen Feb. 21 and had been reported missing.

 Foster said he had injuries that could have resulted from foul play and that IHIT is working with Delta Police to find out what happened.

“Collectively, the police agencies involved are working to determine how and when Mr. Skedden died.  An autopsy is required to determine what caused Mr. Skedden’s death, and it has been scheduled to occur next week.  Anyone with information is asked to contact police,” Foster said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact IHIT at 1-877-551-4448 or ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca. 

A 59-year-old B.C. man who came to Canada as a baby was deported to the Netherlands on Monday because of crimes he committed while suffering from bipolar disorder.

Len Van Heest lost a last-ditch attempt to stay in Canada when Federal Court Chief Justice Paul Crampton rejected his request for a judicial review of his case late Friday.

That cleared the way for the Canada Border Services Agency to escort him to Amsterdam on a flight that left at 3:40 p.m. Monday.

Van Heest doesn’t speak Dutch and has only distant relatives in the country he left as a seven-month-old baby.

The Courtenay man was diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a 16-year-old. He has a string of criminal convictions for assault, uttering threats and mischief related to his mental illness, with the last offence committed in 2012. Those convictions made him ineligible to remain in Canada as he is not a Canadian citizen.

His brother Daniel Van Heest told Postmedia on Monday that the deportation was unfair and inhumane.

“I have contempt for the system that has lead to my brother’s deportation. It is a humanitarian case and the government is turning a blind eye to it,” he said. “The fact is, it is not fair.”

Ujjal Dosanjh, a former B.C. premier and federal Liberal cabinet minister, said the deportation of someone with a mental illness who has been in Canada for almost six decades is “an absolute travesty.”

“Here is a man who came as a child, doesn’t know the language (of his birth country), has never been to another place, and we are sending him back to a place that he has not seen for the last 58 years,” Dosanjh said. “How is it compassionate and fair to send someone who is essentially … a Canadian, with the exception of a piece of paper. It is wrong.”

In December 2015, Dosanjh wrote an open letter to Immigration Minister John McCallum, urging him to reconsider Van Heest’s case on humanitarian grounds. He said Monday that he never heard back from his former colleague.

“I just think that the law is an ass in this case,” Dosanjh said. “And I don’t think the law should be allowed to be an ass. The minister has the discretion to ensure that the law is compassionate. The legal thing is not always the fair and the right thing to do, and in this case it isn’t.”

In January, Federal Court Judge James O’Reilly rejected Van Heest’s challenge of a CBSA officer refusing to defer his removal from Canada.

O’Reilly said the CBSA had done everything it could to provide a list of social services that would be available to Van Heest once he landed in the Netherlands.

“The CBSA officer found that, given the agency’s limited capacity to make provisions for a Canadian citizen in a foreign country, adequate arrangements had been made for Mr. Van Heest’s removal,” O’Reilly said, mistakenly referring to Van Heest as a Canadian citizen.

Last week, Van Heest’s lawyer Robert Bajer was back in Federal Court arguing for a final chance for his client.

He pointed to a letter written by a retired John Howard Society outreach worker who knows Van Heest.

“I believe Len is more likely to be a harm to himself and others if he is moved to an unknown environment,” the letter said. “Len has told me more than once that he would kill himself if he is sent to the Netherlands because he would have nothing to live for.”

Federal government lawyer Helen Park said all the evidence shows that Van Heest is more stable now and that he was resigned to moving to the Netherlands where a family friend had offered to meet him at the airport.

And she said there is no medical evidence in the case “that Mr. Van Heest would harm himself” if removed from Canada.

Bajer said Van Heest’s “criminal acts are related to him being off his medication and his taking drugs and alcohol. He has reached a state of stability with his mental illness.”

Crampton said during the hearing that Van Heest could have spent more time making arrangements for his new life in Europe.

“It seems like he’s had lots of time, but hasn’t taken any steps whatsoever,” he said.

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

I have been gathering cases of B.C. residents and non-citizens with criminal records who have been ordered deported as I am working on a bigger feature on this issue.

One of the cases that I sat in on last week was that of Len Van Heest, a Courtenay man who came to B.C. as an infant from the Netherlands. His mom Trixie assumed he was automatically Canadian. But that was not the case, despite almost six decades in Canada. He was diagnosed with mental illness as a teen and had several run-ins with the law over several years. On one assault conviction, he received nine months in jail – enough for him to be flagged for deportation as a non-citizen.

His mental health is now stable. But he and his family were not successful in trying to get his removal order stayed.

He was deported Monday.

Here’s my story:

There has been a delay in some of the sentencing hearings in the drug conspiracy case involving two Hells Angels and their associates.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Carol Ross explained Monday that she has been delayed at a trial in Prince Rupert and therefore would not be available to resume the sentencing hearings for James Howard, Bryan Oldham, David Giles and Shawn Womacks until later this month.   

David Giles

Ross spoke by phone in courtroom 74 to Ian Donaldson, the lawyer representing Oldham, the full-patch HA member who was convicted last fall of possession for the purpose of trafficking. His sentencing has been adjourned to March 24.  

Hells Angel Bryan Oldham convicted of possession for the purpose of trafficking

Howard, an HA associate convicted of conspiracy to traffic cocaine, was supposed to have his sentencing hearing resume March 1. It has now been delayed until March 17. The Crown is seeking a 15-year sentence for Howard.

Giles, convicted on several counts, will have his sentencing hearing on March 21 and 22.

Womacks sentencing hearing will be held March 20.

All four were ensnared in a reverse sting by Mounties posing as South American drug lords. The conspirators handed over $4 million down payment on 200 kilograms of cocaine and committed to purchasing another 300 kilos more.

For a while, Tyler Willock was in the news a lot. He was a gang associate of both the Red Scorpions and the Independent Soldiers. He was targeted in a February 2009 shooting. A month later, he suffered a brutal beating. 

Now he’s back in the news again trying to get the government to return thousands of dollars seized from him during a police stop in June 2016.

Here’s my story:

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team released footage Friday of the suspect in the March 13 murder of gangster Birinderjeet Bhangu outside a Surrey hotel.

Staff Sgt. Jennifer Pound said investigators need to identity the young man dressed all in black in order to figure out the motive in the brazen daytime shooting.

Here’s my story so far:

IHIT’s S/Sgt Jennifer Pound in file photo

Surveillance footage shows alleged killer of Surrey gangster Birinder Bhangu

Homicide investigators are trying to identify a suspect clearly featured in surveillance video seconds before the brazen daylight murder of Birinderjeet Bhangu in Surrey this week.

Staff Sgt. Jennifer Pound, of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, said the killer had no regard for public safety when he walked up to Bhangu’s vehicle in the parking lot of a Guildford Hotel March 13 and started shooting.

“Members of the community, the general public and even those entrenched in this lifestyle themselves should be outraged by the arrogance and inhumanity that was exhibited on this day,” Pound said. “This was a shooting in broad daylight in an area where families and community members frequent.”

Bhangu, 29, was a well-known gangster with links to some of the recent violence in the Lower Mainland. He had a criminal record dating back more than a decade driving offences, property crimes and drug trafficking.

He had just parked his Acura in front of  the Comfort Inn Hotel in the 8200-block of 166th Street at 2:22 p.m. when the suspect walked over to the driver’s side of Bhangu’s car and started blasting it.

Pound said it is rare to have such clear images of a murder suspect.

“A big important piece to that puzzle right now is asking for the public’s help in telling us who that suspect is,” she told reporters Friday.

Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at 1-877-551-4448.

She said that while the killer wasn’t aiming at the public, there were many people in the area at the time of the shooting.

 “You can see that anyone can fall victim to the flagrant disregard that this individual showed that day,” Pound said.

“It was a very, very busy day and there is an arena right across the street, so there is kids and families frequenting this area morning and night.”

She said witnesses in the area are fully cooperating with police.

“We actually get a lot of assistance from the public in cases like this and it is simply for this reason – when somebody feels that it is their right to go into a public place and put other people at risk for their sole purpose, a selfish senseless purpose of taking somebody else’s life, people get outraged. We know that people want to come forward and help,” Pound said.

“And in cases like this that it’s so obvious and in your face that the public was at risk, even those entrenched in this life style will tend to want to come forward and give information.”

She said it is too early in the investigation to say if Bhangu’s murder is linked to other recent gang slayings on the Lower Mainland or is part of a turf war with area drug traffickers.

“If we knew who that suspect was and we could say he’s linked to gangs, or linked to associates, we’d have a bit more of a solid answer,” Pound said.  “Once we can identify him, we’ll do a history on that individual and figure out what the links are and what the potential conflict may have been.”

Here’s the timeline of the murder:

• Mr. Bhangu was driving an Acura MDX and pulled into a parking spot in front of the hotel at 2:22pm. 

• The suspect was driving a Nissan Pathfinder and was backed into a parking spot close by. 

• At 2:23pm the suspect exits his vehicle and approaches Mr. Banghu from the driver’s side of the vehicle.

• While approaching the vehicle, the suspect begins shooting at 2:24pm.

• The suspect ran back to his vehicle and fled the parking lot west bound making a right hand turn onto Fraser Hwy.

• The Nissan Pathfinder, driven by the suspect, was recovered in Kelowna the following day (March 14^th)

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

Homicide investigators are trying to identify a suspect clearly featured in surveillance video seconds before the brazen daylight murder of Birinderjeet Bhangu in Surrey this week.

Staff Sgt. Jennifer Pound, of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, said the killer had no regard for public safety when he walked up to Bhangu’s vehicle in the parking lot of a Guildford hotel on Monday and started shooting.

“Members of the community, the general public and even those entrenched in this lifestyle themselves should be outraged by the arrogance and inhumanity that was exhibited on this day,” Pound said. “This was a shooting in broad daylight in an area where families and community members frequent.”

Bhangu, 29, was a well-known gangster with links to some of the recent violence in the Lower Mainland. He had a criminal record dating back more than a decade for driving offences, property crimes and drug trafficking.

He had just parked his Acura in front of  the Comfort Inn Hotel in the 8200-block of 166th Street at 2:22 p.m. when the suspected shooter walked over to Bhangu’s car and started shooting.

The video image shows a young man dressed all in black with his face uncovered. Pound said he was driving a Nissan Pathfinder that was recovered in Kelowna on Tuesday.

Pound said it is rare to have such clear images of a murder suspect.

“A big important piece to that puzzle right now is asking for the public’s help in telling us who that suspect is,” she told reporters Friday.

Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at 1-877-551-4448.

Pound said that while the killer wasn’t aiming at the public, there were many people in the area at the time of the shooting.

 “You can see that anyone can fall victim to the flagrant disregard that this individual showed that day,” she said.

“It was a very, very busy day and there is an arena right across the street, so there is kids and families frequenting this area morning and night.”

This photo shows the placement of the suspect vehicle and the victim vehicle. Suspect vehicle is marked with a green circle. Victim vehicle is marked with yellow. This photo also shows the heavy foot traffic of innocent bystanders at the time of the shooting.

Pound said witnesses in the area are co-operating with police.

“We actually get a lot of assistance from the public in cases like this and it is simply for this reason — when somebody feels that it is their right to go into a public place and put other people at risk for their sole purpose, a selfish, senseless purpose of taking somebody else’s life, people get outraged. We know that people want to come forward and help,” she said.

“And in cases like this that it’s so obvious and in your face that the public was at risk, even those entrenched in this lifestyle will tend to want to come forward and give information.”

Pound said it is too early in the investigation to say if Bhangu’s murder is linked to other recent gang slayings in the Lower Mainland or is part of a turf war with area drug traffickers.

“If we knew who that suspect was and we could say he’s linked to gangs, or linked to associates, we’d have a bit more of a solid answer,” she said.  “Once we can identify him, we’ll do a history on that individual and figure out what the links are and what the potential conflict may have been.”

A timeline of Monday’s murder:

• Bhangu was driving an Acura MDX and pulled into a parking spot in front of the hotel at 2:22 p.m. on Monday, March 13.

• The suspect was driving a Nissan Pathfinder and was backed into a parking spot close by.

• At 2:23 p.m., the suspect got out of his vehicle and approached Banghu from the driver’s side of the vehicle.

• While approaching the vehicle, the suspect began shooting at 2:24 p.m.

• The suspect ran back to his vehicle and fled the parking lot westbound, making a right-hand turn onto Fraser Highway.

• The Nissan Pathfinder, driven by the suspect, was recovered in Kelowna the following day, on Tuesday, March 14.

kbolan@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/kbolan

Blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

Related

• Man dies in suspected targeted shooting at Surrey hotel
• Recent uptick in gang violence shows the system is failing in B.C., say critics

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Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com.