Crime - Teen charged in abduction case

Okotoks RCMP say incident not random,16-year- old suspect knew his alleged victim

By Pamela Roth
Staff reporter

Okotoks RCMP has charged a 16-year-old male believed to be responsible for the attempted abduction of a 10-year-old girl in the Cimarron area last week.
The teen, who cannot be named, was questioned at the Okotoks RCMP detachment about the incident for more than an hour last Thursday before he was charged with five criminal offences.
The accused made his first appearance in Calgary Provincial Court last Friday and was released on recognizance.
Under the conditions of his release, the teen cannot possess weapons, drugs or alcohol and must be in his home unless accompanied by a parent or probation officer. The teen is also not to be in the presence of anybody under the age of 13.
Okotoks RCMP Sgt. Gary Graham said the attack was not random, and that the teen, who lives in the same neighbourhood, was known to the family.
“It was planned. He knew who she was,” said Graham, who confirmed the teen is the only person involved in the case.
“It was nice to get this caught quickly. It’s an emotional issue involving the safety of people in their homes at night. I think the community is quite happy about this.”
The attempted abduction occurred around 1 a.m. July 18 when the teen entered the home through an unlocked window on the main floor.
Armed with a knife, the suspect then entered the room of the 10-year-old girl and attempted to abduct her while the family slept.
While the pair was in the hallway, RCMP said the girl managed to run away to her parents’ room, forcing the teen to flee the residence through the front door.
Since attempted abductions are virtually unheard of in Okotoks, the incident sent a wave of fear throughout the community.
Reports that a Peeping Tom had also frequented the same neighbourhood on two occasions added to the anxiety, however, RCMP confirmed the incidents are separate from the attempted abduction and may not even be criminal.
Pam Cox lives only a few doors away from where the attempted abduction occurred and was shocked when she heard what had happened during the early morning hours down the street.
Now that a suspect has been caught and charged, Cox and her family can finally get some sleep. However, like many other residents, she is now taking extra precautions around her home to ensure her children’s safety.
“I am definitely relieved that he has been caught,” said Cox. “It’s not going to stop me from educating my kids. It could happen again. It’s a shame that it’s happened and I send my condolences to the family.”
Although RCMP spent the next few days combing the neighbourhood for any signs of the suspect, the teen was eventually tracked down through a police investigation.
The family was unavailable for comment on the matter, however, Graham said they are obviously shaken from the event.
The teen has been charged with break and enter with intent, unlawful confinement, uttering a death threat, disguise with intent and possession of a weapon.
His next court appearance is July 27 in Okotoks.

Safe at home

Okotoks Outlaw Brody Irwin slides safely into home under the attempted tag of the Vegreville catcher in the bottom of the fourth inning of the Outlaws’ 11-5 win on Saturday afternoon. Okotoks went on to beat the South Jasper Place Jays 4-0 on Sunday to win the 2006 provincial Bantam Tier II baseball championship and Irwin was named finals MVP. photo by John Barlow

Okotoks - Safety issues close arts centre

Reports show extensive repairs needed to former United Church

By Laurel Nadon
Staff reporter

The Rotary Performing Arts Centre closed its doors last week due to safety concerns.
Structural engineers recommended that the facility be closed due to public safety concerns after a report found that a new roof, foundation and exterior wall realignment was needed.
Cathy Masterson, cultural and historical services coordinator with the town, was in charge of contacting the user groups who will be displaced due to the closure and said that they were understanding.
“We’ve been in touch with user groups, keeping them aware of changes occurring in the building,” Masterson said. “They knew there were some challenges with the building and everyone is concerned that the building remain in a safe format for all to use.”
She noted that groups such as the Okotoks Garden Club, church groups and Alcoholics Anonymous will be accommodated in space at The Station Cultural Centre, but that the building’s closure is more difficult for those in need of the acoustics such as the musicians and drama groups.
“They’re certainly going to feel the loss of the building,” Masterson said.
In the past few months, the average use of the facility has been from 12 user groups and 31 rentals to 18 user groups and 51 rentals.
“It’s certainly a high usage for the space,” Masterson said.
Dale Fea, treasurer with the Okotoks Arts Council, said she was crushed when she heard the news.
“We had believed we’d followed through with due diligence and put a lot of money and effort in,” Fea said. “To find out that it wasn’t enough was kind of sad.”
She added that the arts council still gave something valuable to the town even though it needs repairs.
“It’s one of the picturesque and special places in town that without it, you’d lose the character of the town,” Fea said.
After discussing the issue in camera at its meeting last week, Okotoks town council decided to authorize architectural services to prepare a detailed design for replacing the roof structure, realigning exterior walls and a new foundation.
The architect will then provide council with a detailed report on the cost required to complete the work.
Once the report is presented to council in the fall, the town will host community consultation sessions to determine the level of support for public funding for the arts centre refurbishment. In the interim the town will also be exploring grant funding.
“We need to balance presence of a local historic architectural gem in our community which provides a badly needed public space for performing arts with stellar acoustics with taxpayer involvement,” said municipal manager Rick Quail.
Mayor Bill McAlpine noted that heavy rains last summer may have necessitated repairs sooner than expected.
“If we can financially afford to do it, I would love to keep that building,” McAlpine said. “It’s a real landmark in our community.”
In the meantime, the town is proceeding with the removal of the upper half of the bell tower which is structurally unsound due to deteriorating wood.
The United Church on Elma Street was built in 1906 and was put up for sale in 2002 when the Okotoks congregation moved to a larger facility. The Okotoks Arts Council purchased the building and began renovations on Oct. 1, 2004. New electrical and plumbing was installed throughout the building to convert the church into the Rotary Performing Arts Centre, which opened on Nov. 17, 2004.
The Okotoks Arts Council then donated the building and land to the town in April, 2005.
Council learned in May that emergency work, at a cost of approximately $15,000, was needed on the facility.
A structural engineering report was believed to have been done when the United Church put the building up for sale, but upon researching the report, the town discovered it was actually a visual structural report.
The report stated that there was a cracking of exterior surface, horizontal movement of the roof trusses and that the exterior masonry cladding was in reasonable repair given the age of the building. As a result, repairs to the cracks in the wall structure were made and internal roof bracing was modified.
Town administration will update town council on the facility at its Aug. 14 meeting.