Joseph Skreptak and Cory Montemurro have each been found guilty of 8 weapons offences from that arrest near Salmon Arm a few years back. Skreptak has an additional marihuana possession. Tentative sentencing is Nov 17 but that could be pushed back since they ordered a pre sentence report for Montemurro and that could take 6-8 weeks. Until then they are out on bail.
Global is reporting Guilty on all counts. That’s the judge’s ruling. thanks God. Finally a judge with a brain. Kamloops Infonews is reporting that during the trial, Skreptak said he had no idea there were guns in the vehicle, nor did he know the items he put into his sock that night were bullets to a snub-nosed .38 revolver found later on the side of the road where they pulled over. Justice Geoff Barrow said the denial was “beyond common sense.” Indeed. He claimed he didn't know someone put a clip of bullets in his sock? Like I said, Joseph Skreptak is a liar. A bad one at that.
If the picture is what those two people were caught with and where found guilty of possessing, then they ought to go to jail for awhile and I don't mean a few months. The picture looks like 3 guns and some sort of shot gun. They weren't going deer hunting, that much I do conclude.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what the sentence is for illegal possession of guns, but if I were handing out sentences, those two men would be "guests of the queen" for at least 2 yrs, before they get out. So if they get out after 2/3s, sentence a min. of 3 yrs. I would like them to have time to contemplate the need to have such a collection. the knives, baseball bats, that's one thing, but 4 pieces of fire power which you can't out run, not in my country.
I don't care what the P.M. and his friends at the NRA think, guns kill and we don't need them. I'd be happy if they brought back the long gun registry. If we had stronger gun laws, we would all be a lot safer.
I know judges like pre-sentencing reports, but really, 4 guns, of that sort, they weren't for target shooting and they weren't for deer hunting, so I don't care how nice a person he is, he ought to go to jail for possession of the fire arm for the same length of time the other one does. From your article I have concluded the two men were found to be in possession of these items, while together. Not a good choice, gentlemen. Straight to jail, no need to wait. It doesn't read like they are filing appeals against the conviction.
He was caught speeding through Salmon Arm with three other associates in a car loaded with all those weapons. Guns, knives, bullet proof vest, Hells Angels colours, baseball bats, bear spray and a cell phone jammer.
DeletePeople thought it looked like they were on their way to do a grow rip. Juel Stanton was famous for using violence to take over grow ops for the Hells Angels in Surrey.
Three months after they were caught speeding through Salmon Arm with all those weapons, the police found an abandoned grow op that was abandoned just after they were caught. It's as though they caught wind the HAs were on to them and left town in a hurry. http://gangstersout.blogspot.ca/2011/02/abandoned-grow-op-in-salmon-arm.html
These guys really do need to spend some time in jail. It will give them an opportunity to get some career counselling. Anyone carrying that may "weapons" and other interesting stuff, not on my Christmas wish list, ought to find something else to do for a living. If you are carrying that much stuff, you don't speed. If the H.A. is to remain a "viable corporation" they ought to find some members who were a tad smarter than to carry that many "objectionable" items with them and then speed. Like how dumb is that.
DeleteWhile smoking a joint as well. Not very bright.
DeleteAEF, with all due respect, guns do not kill. They never have. They never will.
DeleteI realize it is a common fallacy for people to claim that "guns kill" but logic dictates that it is impossible for the gun to kill. Only people kill. They use various objects and tools as weapons.
If the gun is not available history has shown that it will be another object - with a rock as being the first historically recorded one.
Objects cannot be taken away from people. The cause and reason of guns being used needs to be addressed.
The more guns are taken away from the people, the less likely people are to be able to defend themselves.
In the USA, states where there are right to carry concealed laws (about half of them) crime rates are a lot lower than in those without them. In those states that have introduced right to carry concealed laws the crime rates have dropped significantly. Those areas where firearm ownership has been limited the crime rates have jumped dramatically (i.e. LA, Washington DC).
The shotgun is prohibited, the rest are restricted. I doubt any of them are registered in anyone's name that was on the car. A gun registry does nothing to keep guns off the streets. It just keeps police off the beat and behind a desk.
ReplyDeleteYeah they were obviously throw aways - unregistered. No one is going to commit a crime with a registered firearm.
Deleteactually the long gun registry was not staffed by "police". It was a federal government agency staffed by "civilians" or pencil pushers. The few police officers who might have been assigned would have been the pencil pusher types anyhow.
DeleteAs to not using registered firearms in a criminal operation, hey some of these "criminals" aren't that smart to begin with. They will use what they can find.
e.a.f.......
ReplyDeleteYou do realize that criminals will not disarm? Firearms are a necessary tool for what they do. They can be stolen or made in any small machine shop. There is no way to effectively make them go away. Your dream is just that. This said, what do you imagine would have happened to the people at that grow if the RCMP hadn't pulled that car over? Would you rather that they were helpless against those who would do them harm? Best case scenario they might have been told they had a new employer or run off with a severe beating, however it's not beyond the realm of possibility that their future could have been a shallow unmarked grave. Do we functionally expose people to death/grievous bodily harm for growing pot? It sounds to me like you have more concern for an idea which would never accomplish it's goals (no guns in society) than you do innocent (well, mostly innocent anyway) human life.
Here's an alternate scenario. Growers all have a decent self defense long gun. Registered if you like. HA rip team rolls up, is detected in the early stages of the operation, and are all shot/killed upon entry. Same outcome as before, grow op is abandoned, growers leave town, but three scumbags get eliminated. I call that a win all the way around.
Any independent grower who is not armed is a fool. They can't go to the police for protection, thus they must handle this themselves. It's really the same for all citizens, the police never actually save anyone after the point where a violent assaulted has been initiated, they arrive after the fact to take the report and watch the Paramedics clean up the mess.
"When seconds count, we're only minutes away".
I missed that part. I'm somewhat concerned about Harper's attempt to implement mandatory minimum sentences for the possession of firearms. It seems to contradict the whole intent of removing gun registration. The law should be possession of firearms in the commission of a crime. Harper's law states that if you have a firearm for self defense and don't use it but have it, you will receive the same mandatory minimum sentence as a criminal who uses a gun in the commission of a crime.
Delete"The law should be possession of firearms in the commission of a crime."
DeleteEXACTLY. The sordid little truth of this is that the state wants a monopoly on the use of force, and that they are uncomfortable with the idea of citizens having the right or ability to resist anyone at all, because then the citizens might decide to resist THEM.
The moment they want to disarm you, their intent should be obvious, which is why they must lie about it, as they do.....that if this is done everyone will be safer, LOL.
How exactly might I be more safe without a gun in my hand than I am with one? It doesn't make logical sense, but people buy that BS anyway. Politicians would not get as far as they do without being inveterate liars, and without gullible fools that will believe anything they are told. Harper is no different.
Sadly they could apply that to this case and claim they were just in possession of the firearms they weren't in the act of committing a criminal offense. However, it's pretty clear they were on their way to commit a criminal act as one doesn't need balaclavas and a cell phone jammer for self defense. I have bear spray but the only time I have it in my car is when I'm on my way to the back country. Carrying that many weapons around in your car means you're up to no good.
DeleteHaving guns, even legally register ones, in a grow op is an additional charge usually resulting in firearms prohibition and nobody with a legal gun wants that. Shooting home invaders, whomever that are, is illegal, and rightly so. To fire back in self defense is permissible, but would also likely result in a major hassle. Better to run from a grow rip, it's only pot after all, call 911 and suck up the cultivation charge. Cops go crazy over guns, even legally stored and registered ones.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if there is much profit left in grow ops, the market is flooded with weed and prices are at an all time low. It was much more expensive back in the 80's. Now I see plants in back yard gardens basically out in the open. You can have it delivered to your house by dial a dopers on Craigslist. There are lots of ways to make more money faster nowadays.... if you are willing to take a chance.
It is exactly the quicker way to make money the HA will "tax" the grow ops. They will not get their hands personally dirty - but they will ensure they get money from them.
DeleteCalling 911 is not really much of an option when they have a cell phone jammer (and disable any land lines).
The gang knows if someone goes to jail for calling the police that person(s) will treated very poorly in jail by their fellow inmates. The gang also knows they can count on their associates to try to track someone down and do a "favour" to gain favour with the club.
That is why it is essential those at the top of the gang (full patch members) are the ones targeted.
"Shooting home invaders, whomever that are, is illegal, and rightly so."
DeleteLOL, "Whomever they are?" Yeah, if they intend to kill you (how would you know one way or the other) just accept your fate, "don't resist". If you were any other mammal, you'd would be a sheep, passively accepting whatever comes..."oops, here's the blade, time to die"
This is the result of 40 years of brainwashing, the government and your mother both tell you that "violence never solves anything"....what a crock, why do you think both the state and the HA use it when they don't get their way? It works very well indeed. "Too American" though, right? "We don't want to be like them".......heard all this before....
You will get the level of behavior that you are willing to accept. When you EFFECTIVELY dissuade such people from doing it, they will stop. Risk vs. reward. Here's a tip for you, when your door gets kicked in, the people doing it don't have your best interests at heart. They have just told you, right there, that they are willing to do you harm.
How the various politicians responsible (paging Allan Rock, Sharon Carstairs et al...) were able to convince people who have a line in their national anthem "the true north strong and free" to decide to be neither is beyond me. That's why I don't live there anymore. Pathetic. Even PET had more balls than that.
With the task force discontinued and an average cost of $1,000,000 to successfully convict a full patch member in BC, I don't see that happening much in the future.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure where that number came from. Perhaps the Michale Plante case. However, I'm sure it didn't cost a million dollars to bust Uncle Joe's ass. The David Giles bust or the Kelowna Hells Angels stolen car ring didn't cost that much either and was well worth it. The Robert Thomas / Norm Cocks conviction was important and not very expensive either. All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men and women to remain silent and do nothing.
DeleteI doubt if it costs that much money to convict some of the "criminals'. However, the province did reduce the budget and of course the RCMP decided to take the money out of one of those "important" dept.s It politics 101.
ReplyDeleteEven if it did cost a Million per conviction, I for one would be happy to have things progress. The province does have the money. when the premier can give the LNG business a $116 Million tax reduction, we have the money for that many criminal cases, even if they were $1M a pop. If its only a matter of money to solve the crime problem in B.C., there is money. In 2005/6 the province was taking in, from oil and gas, about $3.2 Billion a yr in taxes/royalties, etc. By 2011/12 it had dropped to approx. $500 Million. yet during the intervening years oil/gas production had increased. So in my humble opinion, if there is enough cash rolling around in this province to give that much money to oil/gas producers in rebates, royalty and tax reductions we have money to deal with crime and the social issues which lead to crime.
Yes cutting funding to the gang task force and getting rid of the OMGU was a bad idea. Translink spends a billion dollars a year in a 10 cents a litre regional gas tax above their operating budget and they still want more. Too many people are lining their pockets with tax dollars.
Delete