VANDERHOOF
INQUEST
Jury
ponders
Thomas
death
'
by
ELI
SOPOW
Citizen
staff
reporter
VANDERHOOF
The
coroner's
jury
retired
at
about
11:30
a.m.
today
to
consider
its
recommendations
in
the
inquest
into
the
death
of
Stoney
Creek
band
member
Coreen
Thomas
"July
3.
At
presstime,
the
jury
had
failed
to
reach
a
consensus
and
retired
for
lunch.
Earlier
today,
Richard
Redekop
testified
he
was
driving
about
30
miles
per
hour
when
he
struck
and
killed
Thomas.
:
Thomas
was
struck
about
3
a.m.,
July
3
as
'she
was
walking
with
friends
to
the
reserve.
Witnesses
at
the
scene
have
testified
the
Redekop
car
was
going
between
45
and
70,
y
miles
per
hour.
'
Police
traffic
experts
say
the
minimum
speed
the
car'
was
going
was
between
37
and
40
miles
per
hour.
Skid
marks
stretched
for
71-77
feet
at
the
scene.
Redekop
testified
at:
the
fourth
day
of
the
inquest
into
the
girl's
death
that
she
"sort
of
ran
out"
into
the
path
of
his
rented
1976
sedan'.
Quiet
and
calm
on
the
stand,
Redekop
said
he
was
going
about
30
miles
per.
hour
on
the
TODAY
'And
don
't
go
hanging
around
those
humansl'
TWO
HOSTAGES
HELD
AFTER
WRECKING
SPREE
icis
seize
contr
NEW
WESTMINSTER,
B.C.
(CP)
About
200
prisoners
continued
today
to
wreck
the
east
wing
of
the
British
Columbia
Penitentiary
while
nine
prisoners
held
two
penitentiary
workers
hostage
in
the
kitchen
area
of
the
institution'.
,
The
prisoners
had
been
in
control
of
the
east
wing
of
the
fortress-like
institution
after
about
5
p.m.
Monday
and
a
prisoners'
committee
said
destruction
of
the
wing
had
begun
Friday
but
had
been
kept
quiet
by
prison
officials.
About
two
hours
after
the
prisoners
took
control
of
the
wing,
nine
other
men
seized
Walter
Day,
SO,
a
civilian
food
services
employee,
and
Wayne
Culbert,
21;
a
guard,
holding
them
at
knifepoint
in
the
kitchen
area.
No
injuries
have
been
reported
in
the
disturbance,
although
Jack
Stewart,
a
spokesman
for,
the
Canadian
Penitentiaries
Service,
said
prison
officials
do
not
have
access
to
the
east
wing
and
cannot
determine
if
anyone
has
been
injured
there.
Early
today,
12
members
of
an.RCMP
tactical
squad
and
38
RCMP
riot-squad
officers
arrived
at
the
prison.
Ambulances
were
also
on
hand.
A
specially-trained
unit
from
Canadian
Forces
Base
Chil-liwack
was
to
arrive
at
the
prison
at
noon
today.-
Stoney
Creek
Road
when
he
saw
"about:
30
people
on
the
road."
Thomas
was
with
eight
friends
as
they
walked
on
the
road.
Another,
small
group
of
white
people
was
following
behind..
Redekop
said
the
group
parted
on
the
road
when
his
car
was
about
one
block
away.
He
then
testified
he
slowed
down
to
"about
20
miles
per
hour"
and
then
started
to
speed
up
to
"about
30
miles
per
hour''
when
Thomas
"jumped
out
onto
the
road."
"Under
cross-examination
by
Harry
Rankin,
lawyer
for
the
Thomas
family,
Redekop
said
he
couldn't
give
a
more
accurate
estimate
of
his
speed.
"I'll
have
to
settle
for
what
the
RCMP
says,"
;
he
said.
,
Redekop
said
he
had
been
attending
a
street
dance
in
Vanderhoof
earlier
and
had
drunk,
"about
four
to
six
beer."
His
blood
alcohol
content
was
recorded
at
.08
one
hour
after,
the
accident.
Redekop
said
immediately
after
the'
accident
he
got
out
of
the
car
with
his
girl
friend
Fay
Haugen
and
yelled
for
someone
to
get
an
ambulance!
Not
in
a
'festive
mood'
"I
got
out
but
no
one
was
doing
anything,
I
yelled
out
for
someone
to
get
an
ambulance
but
nobody
responded
so
I
went
for
an
ambulance,"
he
said.
,'
Under
questioning
by
Sid
Simons,1
lawyer
for
the
Redekop
family,
Redekop
said
he
was
"not
feeling
in
a
festive
mood
that
night.''
His
sister
Bonnie,
17,
was
in
serious
condition
in
hospital
after
being
involved
in
a
motor
vehicle
accident.
She
died
about,
six
hours
after
Coreen
Thomas;,
The
Thomas
inquest,
was
called
after
a
request
from
Vanderhoof
area
Indians
who
complained
that
whites
try
to
run
them
down
on
the
road
to
the
reserve.
;Vanderhoof
area
coroner
Eric
Turner
had
earlier
concluded
that
no
inquest
was
necessary
in
the
Thomas
death,
and
he
decided
not
to
conduct
the
inquest
himself
after
it
was
revealed
he
had
been
convicted
in
a
hit-and-run
death
near
Prince
George
about
10
years
ago.
Redekop's
girlfriend,
Haugen,
testified
Monday
that
Redekop
was
driving
at
the
speed
;
limit
of
30
miles
an
hour
as
he
approached
the
Thomas
party.
She
said
the
car
slowed
down
about
a
block
Denied
entry
Sharon
Raphael,
18,
of
Stoney
Creek
testified
that
Thomas
was
not
permitted
access
to
her
room
in
the
Vanderhoof
Hotel
because
she
had
lost
her
key.
The
woman
said
she,
Thomas
and
other
friends
had
been
drinking
in
a
room
rented
by
Thomas.
Raphael
said
Thomas
went
out
for
a
while
then
returned
to
the
hotel
and
was
denied
entry
by
a
clerk
because
she
had
lost
her
key.
Sandy
Ingres,
co-manager
of
the
hotel,
said
;
she
saw
Thomas
between
midnight
and
2
a.m.
when
she
wanted
to
give
rental
privileges
of
the
room
to
her
younger
sister,
Ingres
said
Thomas
indicated
she
wanted
to
walk
home
with
friends
and
he
agreed
to
the
exchange.
,
He
described
Thomas'
condition
as
being
"very
normal
and
not
intoxicated."
His
partner,
John
Fuite,
also
testified
he
saw
Thomas
at
about
l
a.
m.
in
the
lobby
and
she
"didn't
appear
drunk."
Blood
samples
taken
from
the
body
indicated
a
blood
alcohol
content
of
,19.
In
other
developments
Monday,
lawyer
!
Harry
Rankin
stopped
short
of
clearing
up
the
mystery
of
a
yellow
car
which
previous
testimony
indicated
drove
by
the
'group
Thomas
was
with
shortly
before
she
was
killed.
Testimony
throughout
the
first
three
days
away
and
was
doing
about
20
miles
an
hour,
when
it
drove
through
the
group
of
Indians'
who
had
"casually"
walked
to
either,
side
of
the
road.
Under
cross-examination
by
B.C.
Homemakers
Association
lawyer,
Harry
Ran-'
kin,,
Haugen
said,
the
car
"could
have
been
going
40
miles
an
hour",
just
before
reaching
the
Indians
but
no
faster.
In
an
earlier
statement
to
police
Haugen
said
she
did
not
know
from
which
side
of
the
road
Thomasdarted.
During
questioning
by
Rankin,
the
woman
broke
down
in
tears
and
said
she
couldn't
remember
much
from
the
night
of
the
accident.
"I
remember
seeing
her
face,
that's
all.
It
all
happened
so
fast,"
she
said.
During
Haugen's'
testimony,
she
appeared
very
distraught
and
many
times
began
quiet
sobbing.
Some
women
in
the
audience
too
began
to
quietly
cry
as
she
related
the
incident.
In
other
testimony
Monday,
native
and
white
evidence
differed
on
whether
Thomas
was
turned
away
from
a
hotel
room
she
had
rented
the
night
of
her
death.
to
hotel
room
of
the
inquest
has
indicated
a
small
yellow
car
driven
by
a
person
in
glasses
drove
by
the
group
Thomas
was
with
shortly
before
she
was
killed.
Donna
Patrick
testified
Sunday
a
yellow
car
came
by
as
she,
Thomas,
and
about
seven
others
were
walking
on
the
road
to
the
reserve
at
the
corner
of
Sixth
A
venue
and
Kenney
Dam
Road.
,
"Coreen
tried
to
hitch-hike
with
the
yellow
.
car,
it
swerved
around
her
because
she
sort,
of
leaned
out,"
she
said.
A
note
by
Constable
Neil
Taylor
written
on
the
typed
statement
made
of
Patrick's
remarks
indicates
she
said
a
game
of
"chicken"
was
being
played
with
the
yellow
car.
Rankin
asked
Taylor
if
the
RCMP
knew
who
was
driving
the
yellow
car
or
if
they
had
any
positive'
description
of
it.
Taylor
said
the
police
force
did
not.;
Rankin
said
he
felt
he
had
knowledge
of
the
mysterious
yellow
car,
and
said
he
believed
it
was
a
Datsun
and
was
driven
by
a
woman.
Taylor
said
it
would
be
helpful
to
have
information
about
the
yellow
car
because
it
could
'add
more
evidence
about
whether
Indians
had
played
chicken
that
night
with
cars..
.
Rankin
left
the
topic
and
pursued
another
line
of
questioning.
I
of
of
C.
Pen
east
wi
ng
15
Copy
Vol.'
20;
No.,
187
The
unit,
the
penitentiary
assistance
team,
was
made
up
of
50
men
under
the
command
of
Maj.
N..D.
Ashton.
They
were
to
take
over,
external
'security
and
perimeter
duties,
including
the
manning
of
four
guard
towers
on
the
walls
of
the
penitentiary.
A
committee
of
prisoners
met
with
a
civilian
advisory
committee
early
today
and
released
a
statement
acknowledging
Prince
George;
British
Columbia
the
destruction
of
the
east
wing
and
saying
the
wrecking
of
cells
in
the
wing
began
Friday.
"This
institution
will
probably
never
function
again
as
it
was
because:'
we
stop
here,"
the
statement
said.
"The
east
wing
will
never
be
used
again.
It
is
destroyed."
The
statement
said
the
wrecking
began
Friday
when
prisoners
destroyed
toilets
in
empty
cells.
Furniture
in
the
ceils
City
puts
restrictions
on
Blackburn
growth
by
TOM
NIXON
Citizen
Staff
Reporter
The
Blackburn
two-step
is
over.
.
On
Monday,
council
limited
Blackburn's
population
,
to
5,000
until
services
are
built
to
handle
a
greater
number,
and
them
adopted
city
planner
Dave
McDonald's
development
plan
which
centres
residential
growth
around
FEATURED
INSIDE)
City
council
is,
wary
after
seeing
a
new
concept
that
would
give
Prince
George
"housing
of
the
future".
Page
3.
A
dozen
B.C.
people
watched
while
an
accident
victim
lay
dying
in
a
creek.
Page
7.
Oakland
and
Kansas
City
should
get
A's
for,
their
battle
Royal
Monday.
Page
15.
Business,
8;
Classified,
18-27;
Comics,
30;
Editorial,
4
;
Home
and
Family,
10,
11
;
Horoscopes,
31
;
International,
5
;
Local
and
Provincial,
3,
7,
29
;
National,
2
;
Sports,
15-17;
Television,
30.
North
Blackburn
Road
between
Mackus
and
Giscome
Roads.
.
The
decision,
watered
down
over,
past
months
by
attempts
to
accommodate
residents
of
large
lots
as
well
as
land
speculators
and
developers
who
hoped
to
be
able
to
develop
large
urban
subdivisions
all
over
the
Blackburn
area,
came
after
more
than
six
months
of
postponement
for
engineering
Teachers
reject
one-day
protest
Prince
George,
teachers
voted
Thursday
to
stay
on
the
job
during
the
Oct.
14
day
of
protest
against
federal
wage
and
price
controls.
In
a
secret
ballot
held
on
a
school-to-school
basis,
the
majority
of
1,200
district
57
teachers
decided
not
to
join
the
nation-wide
walk-out
by
Cana-1
dian
Labor
Congress
members.
But
those
members
who
voted
in
favor
of
walking
out
may
still
do
so,
said
Owen
Corcoran,
president
of
the
Prince
George
District
Teacher's
Association.
'
"We'll
support
the
right
of
some
teachers
who,
by
virtue
of
commitment
and
conscience,
will
want,
to;
withdraw
their
services
that
day,"
said
Corcoran.
It
will
be
a
school
board
decision
whether
classes
of
teachers
who
decide
to
walk
out
will
operate,
he
said.
Corcoran
said
the
totals
of
the
vote
will
not
be
released
to
teachers
or
the
public
until
Thursday.
reports,
taxation
reports;
development
studies
and
renovated
planning
proposals.
The
total
residential
development,
not
including
rights
of
large-lot
owners
to1
subdivide
their
properties'
frontage,
will
be
heid
to
fewer
than
400
lots
until
a
new
bridge
is
built
across
the
Fraser
River
near
the
CNR
bridge,
a
new
road
network
to
handle
more
people
is
built
between
the
city
and
Blackburn
and
a
new
source
of
water
capable
of
supplying
more
than
10,000
is
provided.
.
It's
not
likely
such
conditions
will
be
met
for
at
least
10
years,
according
to
the
city
planner.
.
Blackburn's
$3
million
sewer
system,
the,
main
reason
development
is
being
allowed
at
;
all,
s
has
the
capacity
cur-rently
for
2,500
and
will
require
a
$500,000
expansion
of
the
See
BLACKBURN
page
2
THE
WEATHER
.Cooler
weather
and
afternoon
showers
were
expected
today
and
Wednesday
as
unstable
weather
systems
move
into
the
Central
Interior.
Clouds
and
a
few
sunny
periods
were
expected
for
both
days.
The
highs
today
and
Wednesday,
19;
the
low
tonight,
6.
The
high
Monday
was
23
;
the
overnight
low
was
3.
The
high
on
Sept.
28,
1975
was
13;
the
low
was
8.
Temperatures,
page
2
was
demolished
Saturday
and
rail
in
g3
and
bars
oh
tiers
leading
to
cells
were
torn
down
Sunday.
The
prisoners'
committee
said
the
disturbance
began
as
the
result
of
24
demands
made
by
guards
at
the
prison,
mem-,
bers
of
the
Public
Service
Alliance
of
Canada,
after
a
state
of
emergency
at
the
prison
was
lifted
last
week.
In
Montreal.
MONTREAL
(CP)
-
Soldiers
were
patrolling
the
walls
of
a
century-old
penitentiary
here
today
after
prisoners
set
fire,
to
cells
in
a
maximum-security
wing
Monday
night,
a
Canadian
Armed
Forces
spokesman
said.
Capt.
Geoff
Haswell
said
more
than
100
soldiers
were
transported
to
the
Laval
Institute
early
today
and
shifts
of
30
to
40
men
began
perimeter
security
assignments
at
5:00
a.m.
EDT,
RCMP
officers
also
were
standing
by
outside
the
penitentiary.
The
prisoners
burned
their,
cells
in
a
three-hour
rampage
to
protest
what
they
say
are
chronically
poor,
conditions
at
the
institution.
'
Photos
page
2
Vanderhoof
high
school
auditorium
is
being
used
for
inquest
into
death
of
Coreen
Thomas
5,000
POPULATION
Citizen
photo
by
Doug
Waller
'
NEW
SERVICE
Bus
beefs
start
The
,
College
Heights
bus
;
route
was
started
Monday
and
residents'
complaints
about
the
service
started
on
the
same
day.
Alderman
Elmer
Mercier.
said
he
was
told
the
fare
50
cents
is
too
high
and
the
departure
times
are
wrong.
"They
told
me
that
they
were
forced
into
the
city
and
should
therefore
pay,
the
same
fare
as
people
in
the
city
bowl,"
Mercier
told
council
Monday.
Mercier
said
he
also
had
complaints
,
that
the
scheduling
was
poorly
planned
wi
t
h
the
last
afternoon
bus
from
the
downtown
to
College
Heights
leaving
Fourth
Avenue
too
early.
People
also
complained
about
no
night
bus
service.
"Are
they
ready
for
the
city
bowl
tax
rate,
too?"
asked
Mayor.
Harold
Moffat.
"I'm
looking
for
a
reason
to
tax
them
on
the
urban
level
and
this
might
be
it."
,
The
fare
in
the
city
bowl
is
25
cents.
C
of
C
withdraws
'controls'
support
MONTREAL
(CP)
-
In
what
it
admitted
was
mainly
a
propaganda
move,
the
Canadian
Chamber
of
Commerce
withdrew
its
support
Tuesday
from
the
federal
anti-inflation
program.
Chamber
executive-director
Teen
driver
curfew
urged
OTTAWA
(CP)
-
A
restricted
driver's
licence
banning
young
drivers
from
highways
between
9p.m.
and
5a.m.
has
been
proposed
to
help
reduce
road
accidents,
A
research
report,,
released
Monday
by
the
Traffic
Injury
Research
Foundation
of
Canada,
says
that
a
restricted
licence
and
better
driver
education
seem
the
best
ways
to
decrease
highway
accidents
involving
drivers'
between
the
ages
of
16
and
19.
The
report
concludes
that
drivers
aged
16
to
19
are
more
likely
to
be
involved
in
highway
accidents
than
drivers
in
any
other
age
group.
But
two
current
efforts
to
deal
with
the
problem
probationary
licences
for
young
drivers
and
tougher
licensing
standards
ha
ve
a
lim
ited
chance
of
success,
say
authors
R.
A.
Warren
and
H.M.
Simpson,
reserachers
with
the
traffic
research
foundation.
The
report
follows
an
earlier
foundation
study
which
determined
that
impaired
drivers
aged;
16
and
17
are
165
times
more
likely
to
die
than
the
average
non-impaired
Sam
Hughes
said
delegates
to
the
annual
convention
do
hot
want
to
see
the
program
disappear
because
"that
would
be
destructive."
"We
are
not
complaining
about
the
administration
of
the
anti-inflation
board
but
rather
the
rules
under
which
it
must
function,"
he
told
a
news
conference.
The
resolution,
approved
by
most
delegates,
says
the
chamber,
cannot
continue
to
support
the
program
as
currently
structured.
Mr.
Hughes
said
this
"throws
it
right
back
to
the
department
of
finance."
"Curbs
on
profits
are
wrong,"
he
said.
"Profits
are
not
inflationary."
A
dissenting
Ottawa
delegate
said
he
was
in
favor
of
supporting
the
program
because
inflation
was
down
to
eight
per
cent.
NOW
HEAR
THIS
Looking
over
an
elaborte
model
of
Central
Homes'
proposed
Pinecone
community
development,
heralded
by
planner
Des
:
Parker
as
an
answer
to
the
rising
cost
of
housing,
Alderman
Bob
Martin
spotted
tiny
car
models
sitting
in
parking
areas,
Doubtful
that
the
cars
were
to
scale,
he
asked
;
"are
these
cars
American
models
or
are
they
Toyotas
or
Datsuns?"
Right
in
step
with
his
housing-for-the-masses
bid,
Parker
answered:
"Affordable,
Bob,
they're
affordable
cars,"
.
Perhaps
Safeway
could
make
more
money
renting
its
parking
lot
to
downtown
parkers
rather'than
selling
groceries
in
its
store.
The
parking
lot,
on
Fourth
and
Victoria
Is
more
crowded
with
cars
now
that
the
supermarket
is
closed
by
a
lockout
than
it
was
when
the
store
was
open
for
business.