Traffic Stop Results in 50 Pound Seizure of Marijauna

Traffic Ticket the Least of the Drivers Worries

On Wednesday, November 03, 2010 at approximately 2:30 p.m. a Delta Police traffic officer conducting patrols in the area of 10900 blk of Kitsen Park Way observed a vehicle traveling above the posted speed.

The officer initiated a traffic stop to deal with the moving violation. On approach of the vehicle and interaction with the driver, an odor consistent with marijuana was emanating from the pick-up truck. Upon further investigation and with the assistance of a K-9 team, a large quantity of marijuana (approximately 50 pounds) was discovered in the covered box of the pick-up truck. The box of the truck had a tonneau cover in an effort to prevent detection.

The driver, and lone occupant of the vehicle, was taken into custody without incident. The 30 yr old male from Surrey faces charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking a controlled substance. He was later released on a Promise to Appear compelling his court appearance at a later date. The estimated street value if sold by the pound is in excess of $100,000.
The Delta Police continue to work to keep our roadways safe and drugs off our streets.

Tragedy Forces City Hall to Rethink Priorities

By Debbie McBride - It has been a month since the murder of North Delta teen Laura Szendri it's my hope that each of us will learn something to prevent such a tragedy ever occurring again.

First let me offer my deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Laura Szendri, the young girl who was brutally murdered in North Delta. I cannot fathom the pain they are in now and will be forever.

I've been greatly concerned about a number of things surrounding this tragedy on many levels. That this murder occurred at all in the middle of the afternoon in an area surrounded by people and even though people who were close by responded immediately upon hearing Laura's cry, she still was fatally injured. Those who were there and responded are still extremely distressed and have been left with unanswerable questions. The shoulda, wouda, coulda feelings that will never go away. This was not their fault and it was certainly not the fault of Laura Szendrei.

I was brought up with roots in the aviation industry and so many times it has been shown that it is a number of factors that come together that result in aviation accidents and it would behoove us to pay attention to what we learn as the investigation continues.

Of course we don't know what happened that day and we should not rush to judgment as to who committed this murder or why but there are concerns that immediately jump out at us.

I have been contacted by a number of Delta residents who told me they had expressed concern previously about the undergrowth in many of Delta's parks. I understand that Mayor Jackson has ordered a clearing of all undergrowth in all Delta urban parks and that's a good start. That being said, it should not have taken a murder for such an initiative to take place. It certainly seems that keeping the sight-lines of these parks should have always been a priority for our municipality.

I understand fully that to do so costs money but over the years I have seen money spent on projects that were not and should not have been a priority for the municipality. One example that jumps out at me is the $50,000 spent on the Recognition Square in front of Delta's municipal hall last year. Certainly, in hindsight, that money could have been better spent on staff to maintain municipal parks and that is merely one example of misplaced priorities.

Delta has recently announced the hiring of new lifeguards for Delta's swimming pools after a recent study found that staffing levels were inadequate. Whether or not that study was prompted by the drowning of a young foreign student in the Tsawwassen pool this year one can only speculate on. I for one had been at the local pools quite often the last 6 months and had expressed my own concerns about the lack of staffing so I am gratified to see the increase put into place.

I was also perturbed by the fact that there had been at least two recent incidents in North Delta that bear striking similarities to the murder of Laura. Yet, the public was hardly informed of the attacks. Why not? How many more similar attacks have occurred throughout Metro Vancouver?

Armed Robbery at Tsawwassen Gas-Station

Police Scour South Delta for Armed Suspect

News Desk - Tsawwassen was the scene of a police manhunt after an attendant at the Chevron on 56th Street and 12th Avenue was the victim of an armed robbery.

Police were quick to attend the scene and cruisers cordoned off 52nd and 56th Street, effectively cordoning off all escape routes from town. From behind police tape you could observe the attendant being questioned by the officers on scene. A Police dog was also deployed to the crime scene.

Upon questioning, police officers would not give any answers to what was happening, but one officer implied that they were searching for a robbery suspect.

The robbery took place around 8:30pm when a man entered the station demanding the attendant hand over all his money. It is still unknown whether the robber actually produced a firearm, but another staff member who started work this morning said the man had a gun tucked in his waist. "Police told us to close up," the attendant said, "they were more concerned about a man with a gun at large than the small amount of money that was stolen."

His co-worker, a young girl in her early twenties, added "My parent's have lived here a long time. They have never heard of things like this happening here. Between this and the drive by shooting up the street a couple of months ago I don't know what's going on here."

Police have yet to release a statement about this incident, but reaction on the street has people wondering just how safe they are. Morning coffees at the Tim Horton's were accompanied by many people speculating about what took place. The general feeling is one of bewilderment about a big city type of crime here in sleepy Tsawwassen.

8-Year Old Girl Approached by Man With Badge in Tsawwassen

News Desk - On October 06, 2010 at 0840 a.m. an 8-year old girl was approached by a man in the 200 block of 52A Street, near Pebble Hill Elementary School. The suspicious male stated he was a police officer but was not in uniform. He did however, present what appeared to be a badge. The man spoke with the young girl but no attempt was made to grab her or follow her.

The young girl did the right thing by listening to her instincts and continuing to walk toward the school. She didn't report this incident to school staff immediately and the young girl’s parent notified the school the following day. This prompted school staff to contact their School Liaison Officer.

At this time the Delta Police are unable to confirm whether in fact this man was a police officer. As a proactive and precautionary measure, a notice was sent home with elementary students of Pebble Hill School on Friday to make parents aware of this incident.

The suspect is described as a Caucasian male, 5’8 to 5’9, 35 to 45-years old, clean cut, short hair, no facial hair, and average height and build wearing jeans and t-shirt. The male produced a gold or yellowish badge from inside a black wallet.

Police would like to remind all parents that it is recommended that if children are walking to school that they be accompanied by either an adult or in the company of others. Police would also encourage parents to discuss safety plans with their children with respect to strangers.

Person of Interest Focus of Szendrei Murder Investigation

Delta Police may be close to identifying a 'person of interest' in the brutal daytime murder of 15-year old Laura Szendrei.

At a media conference held this morning, police spokeswoman Sargent Sharlene Brooks revealed that hundreds of tips from the public may have led to the identification of a suspect in the teen homicide. Police have yet to contact the person.

Although the police are still unable to confirm whether this crime was targeted or random they have concluded that the recent pepper spraying incidents are in no way linked to the attack on Szendrei.

Using Mackie Park as a backdrop for the conference, Brooks hoped the setting would help jog peoples memories and hoped the public would continue to provide the DPD with any information regarding the attack, asking "anyone in Mackie Park who may have seen or heard anything suspicious please call police."

Police are investigating over 350 tips received from the public and have looked for patterns linking recent attacks on women jogging and walking alone to establish if there are any links with Laura's assault. The DPD advises people to walk in groups, don't wear headphones, and be completely aware of your surroundings.

Mackie Park is being completely reopened to the public, but Brooks stated that this investigation is not being scaled back. Currently there are close to 55 officers active on this case and more may be called in to assist.

Police are encouraging anyone who may have witnessed this attack to come forward. If you have any information regarding this crime please call Delta Police at (604) 946-4411

Delta Police to Brief Media on Szendrei Homicide

Close to two weeks have passed since the daytime murder of 15-year-old Laura Szendrei in Delta's Mackie Park. Delta Police Department's Sgt. Sharlene Brooks has call a news conference to update the media on the status of the investigation.

It is unknown at this time if the police will be providing any new information into the investigation.

Laura was supposed to be meeting up with some friends at Mackie Park to watch a high school football game. She was alone when the attack took place, but she was discovered by friends who saw her lying on the ground.

According to unconfirmed reports, she was hit multiple times with a baseball bat. Delta Police responded to calls reporting the attack at around 1:30 p.m. on September 25th, 2010.

Delta Police have released very little information to the public during this ongoing investigation and have been unable to confirm whether the attack was random or targeted.

(Stay tuned for post a post conference follow-up)

Witness Foils ATM Scam at Ladner Bank

ATM Card Skimming Devices like the one shown here record your information while you bank.

Ladner, BC - A plot to collect cardholder information from a Ladner bank machine in the 5100-block of 48th Avenue was foiled by a diligent observer.

A Trio of Hispanics, two males and one female, were attempting to install a card skimming device over an ATM keypad when a witness called the police. The police attended the scene and conducted a search of the area but they were unable to locate the culprits.

Card skimmers have been used in a number of schemes to steal money from ATM users. The device reads the card and records as the user inputs their PIN code. These devices are disguised to blend in to the machine and can be difficult to spot. In a typical card skimming operation, bank cards are forged using the information collected and are used to withdraw funds from their unsuspecting victims.

Fortunately, for users of this bank machine the device, which was equipped with a pinhole camera, was uncovered prior to collecting any information and the Delta police have seized it for forensic examination.

Afternoon Assault Takes Teenage Girls Life

Laura Szendrei passed away in the early hours of this morning with her family by her side. The fifteen year old Burnsview Secondary School student succumbed to injuries inflicted upon her in a viscous attack near Mackie Park yesterday afternoon.

Laura was supposed to be meeting up with some friends at Mackie Park to watch a high school football game. She was alone when the attack took place, but she was discovered by friends who saw her lying on the ground.

According to unconfirmed reports, she was hit multiple times with a baseball bat. Delta Police responded to calls reporting the attack at around 1:30 p.m. Their Serious Crimes Unit scoured the scene all day and are leading the investigation.

A facebook page titled Justice for Laura Scendrei has already been created hoping to bring the assailant(s) to justice.

Police are encouraging anyone who may have witnessed this attack to come forward. If you have any information regarding this crime please call Delta Police at (604) 946-4411

Teen Girl Dies After Assault near Delta's Mackle Park

News Desk - Delta Police responded to a report of an assault that had just occurred in the 8200 blk 110th St in the Mackie Park area in North Delta.

On arrival police learned that the injuries to the 15 yr old female victim were very serious in nature and she was transported to hospital. Delta Police deployed significant resources to the area and called in the Serious Crime Section investigators to conduct the investigation.

Delta Police learned that in the early morning hours the North Delta teen succumbed to her injuries with family by her side.

Delta Police have called in victim services and are also working closely with the Delta School Board to establish care plan for students and staff of schools in the North Delta area.

The name of the girl has not been released.

Standoff with Delta Gunman Locks Down Jarvis Elementary

Replica Air-Soft Handgun Creates Terror in Quiet Neighbourhood

Delta BC - Jarvis Elementary School was on lock-down yesterday for over two hours as the Police encircled a home two doors away on the 7600 block of 118th Street in Delta. Reports of a man wielding a gun brought a swift response from the Delta Police Department, who initiated the lock-down of nearly 300 students, staff and parents as a precautionary and safety measure, given the close proximity of the school to the residence.

During this incident, Delta Police officers were in the school and worked collectively with the School Board and administration staff to ensure the safety of the children and to communicate with parents/guardians the whereabouts of their children. "We deployed a cross section of our force to respond to this," Said media relations officer Sgt. Sharlene Brooks, "We had a School liaison officer inside the school and she coordinated the lock down. As well, we utilized our Patrol Section, our Emergency Response Team, and other plain clothes officers."

The standoff, which lasted from 3:00 pm to 5:20pm, transformed the quiet neighbourhood into a scene out of a movie as the black clad Emergency Response Team surrounded the house with assault rifles held at the ready. The area was cordoned off due to a male believed to be in possession of a handgun who had gone into the residence and barricaded himself inside.

The siege was lifted at approximately 5:20 p.m. when the Delta Police along with the ERT team were able to take the male into custody without incident using voice commands to subdue him. A search of the residence revealed that the male was in possession of an AirSoft pistol that emulates the look of a real handgun.

A 27 yr old male from Delta has been in held in custody. His name won't be released until later today when he will appear for a 'Show Cause' hearing. Delta police are recommended charges including possession of a weapon (imitation) for a dangerous purpose and uttering threats.

When asked if this would be a scenario when the department would use an armoured vehicle, like the BearCat that is being contemplated as a joint purchase between Delta, Port Moody, New Westminster, and Abbotsford police forces Sgt. Brooks responded with an emphatic, "Yes!"

"It minimizes the risk to our personnel when we have equipment that caliber," she continued, "This would have been an incident when we would have used it."

Airsoft replica guns have caused many police incidents throughout North America. Although the guns are manufactured with an orange tip to distinguish them from legitimate firearms, the tips can be easily removed or covered with electrical tape making them a spitting image of the real thing.

Stolen Vehicle Recovered

South Delta - Stolen Auto Recovered – 2300 blk Hwy 17 – Delta Police observed a vehicle parked roadside unoccupied. Further investigation revealed it was that the vehicle was stolen from the Langley area. Delta Police had the vehicle towed for forensic examination.