--ROMARE BEARDON
Cops left their gun behind after raid, woman says
Jessica Hume
But it was a first time officers allegedly left behind one of their shotguns in the Aug. 11 raid.
The single mother has three sons, all of whom are known to police.
A fourth, Andre Moore, died in 2008 when he was 27 of gunshot wounds and had a long and involved history with law enforcement going back to 1997. Another son, Jerome, 27, was recently convicted after stealing a vehicle from a dealership and is currently in prison.
Police regularly make visits to her address and she’s been the subject of umpteen search warrants for the past 10 years. Indeed, her Eglinton Ave.-McCowan Rd. area building has been the focus of police attention, as police attended four separate incidents there that day.
But she’d never seen a police search like the one at her home that day.
This time, after “destroying” her apartment, one of the six plainclothes officers left behind the loaded weapon.
Accidentally.
It was Hyacinth who called called 911 to let police know they forgot something.
Uniform officers didn’t respond to the call, but the officers who raided the apartment did, she said.
Hyacinth said she took a photograph of the shotgun lying on her son’s bed but she refused to show it to a reporter.
She says in all her years dealing with the police, she’s never seen them react so quickly.
“They were at my house in less than five minutes to get the gun back,” Hyacinth said.
It was the same plainclothes officers who swiftly returned to retrieve the firearm, and she doesn’t believe the officer who left the loaded gun behind reported the event, which police say would have resulted in termination of employment.
Plainclothes officers from the Gun and Gang Task Force showed up at her place to execute the search warrant, although available documents don’t specify what they were looking for and the warrant has since been sealed by the courts.
“This apartment is known to have lots of firearms,” Det.-Sgt. Steve Foden of 43 Division says. “The last one before this was, let’s see. March 11, 2011, a call for firearms, mischief, weapons.”
There are records of Moore’s 911 call, but police say no officer reported leaving a gun behind — ever.
“Seems to me (Moore’s sons) live a high-risk lifestyle and that she is a mother trying to protect her children,” Det.-Sgt. Scott Spratt of the Gun and Gang Task Force says. “We take this seriously. We’re professionals.”
Although neither admits to having heard of the shotgun being left behind at any incident, both Foden and Spratt reluctantly admit it is possible an officer could have done it and not reported it.
It seems to Hyacinth the police are being equally protective of their own.
“It’s in their interest not to admit they left a loaded shotgun in my son’s room,” she said.
Manhunt for woman's accused killer
By Ross Romaniuk ,Winnipeg Sun
RCMP are asking the public for help in tracking down Russell Gordon McDiarmid, 51, and have issued a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest.
"He came into our radar early, in fact quite early in the investigation. At that time, he was a person of interest," RCMP Sgt. Line Karpish said of suspicions that arose before Swenty's remains were discovered exactly a month after she went missing in late July.
"Since our first meeting with him, we have had extreme difficulties in locating him. So he is out there."
McDiarmid is described by police as possibly armed and maybe travelling in a red 2006 Ford Ranger pickup truck that was stolen Aug. 31.
Despite the suspect remaining at large, the charge has soothed some nerves in Fisher Branch, where Swenty lived and worked.
"It makes people feel a little better that there's actually a forward motion in all this craziness," said Gordie Wevursky, who was a friend of Swenty.
McDiarmid, whom RCMP said is originally from British Columbia, is white with balding brown hair and brown eyes, and is 5-foot-11 and 169 pounds.
Investigators strongly believe he is alive, Karpish said, and "could be travelling to B.C."
Mounties have provided few details on the relationship between Swenty and McDiarmid, though Karpish said they were "quite closely connected" while apparently not romantically involved.
"They knew each other through a mutual person," Karpish said, refusing to speculate on a motive for the slaying or reveal how Swenty was killed. "It's still very much a live and ongoing investigation."
Swenty was last seen alive at her home July 27 and was reported missing by her mother the next day after she didn't show up for work.
Her disappearance spurred an extensive police and civilian search in the area. RCMP discovered Swenty's body on Aug. 28.
Karpish added that a flurry of RCMP investigative activity in the past couple of days is "absolutely" linked to the Swenty case. She declined, however, to reveal the connection.
Anyone who sees McDiarmid is urged by RCMP not to approach him, and to call police immediately.
"Do not attempt to arrest him or restrain him in any way," Karpish said.
Suspect sought in Swenty slaying
QMI Agency
Nancy Swenty, 33, was last seen alive at her home in Fisher Branch, Man., about 150 km north of Winnipeg, on July 27, and was reported missing by her mother the next day after she didn't show up for work.
Her disappearance spurred an extensive police and civilian search in the area.
Swenty’s vehicle was found 80 km away on July 31.
A month later, on Aug. 27, volunteer searchers found a black jacket on the side of a county road similar to the one she was wearing when she went missing.
The next morning, RCMP officers found a body not far from the jacket.
Authorities confirmed the remains as those of Swenty on Wednesday, following an autopsy.
On Friday, RCMP issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant for 51-year-old Russell Gordon McDiarmid of Fisher Branch. He is charged with second-degree murder.
Mounties have provided few details on the relationship between Swenty and McDiarmid, though spokeswoman Sgt. Line Karpish said Friday that they were apparently not romantically involved.
"I understood they knew each other through a mutual person, and that they were quite closely connected," Karpish said, refusing to speculate on a possible motive for the slaying or to say how Swenty was killed.
"It's still very much a live and ongoing investigation."
Police said McDiarmid is possibly armed and may be travelling in red 2006 Ford Ranger pickup truck that was stolen on Aug. 31.
He is white with thinning brown hair and brown eyes, and is 5 foot 11 and 169 lbs.
Karpish said investigators believe McDiarmid is alive and may be travelling to British Columbia, where he is originally from.
Anyone who has information on his whereabouts is urged not to approach him, and to contact the police.
"Do not attempt to arrest him or restrain him in any way," Karpish said. "We would be very concerned about that."
AIDS-infected man assault suspect surrenders
By Irene Thomaidis ,Toronto Sun First posted:
The man and a 51-year-old woman met at a west-end bar and had unprotected sex multiple times between Aug. 5 and Aug. 19, Toronto Const. Tony Vella said.
The suspect is accused of failing to disclose his health status.
Police announced Friday morning an arrest warrant was issued for Ian Thomas Williams and he surrendered to police around 4:30 p.m. The 49-year-old man faces charges of aggravated assault and failing to comply with probation.
Police allege the suspect “willfully engaged” in unprotected sex with the victim without telling her about his condition.
He is to appear at Old City Hall Court on Saturday for a bail hearing.
Williams, who was diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1997, has faced similar charges in the past.
In 2005, he was accused of knowingly infecting his ex-wife with HIV.
Mary Maxenita Williams’ daughter Michelle Kelly went to police in her mother’s last stages of life, alleging her former step-father continued to have unprotected sex with women without informing them of his HIV status.
Police issued an alert to other potential sex partners of the suspect in April 2005.
Six women came forward.
“He’s ruined several women’s lives,” Kelly said in an interview with the Toronto Sun at the time.
Trinidadian-born Williams walked out on his new wife after he got his Canadian citizenship papers eight months after they married, Kelly’s sister, Yvette Ferguson, alleged in the same interview.
“He was cheating on her the whole time,” she claimed.
Their mother died of AIDS-related complications in May 2005.
Days later, Williams was charged with six counts of aggravated assault and one criminal negligence causing bodily harm, which was later upgraded to criminal negligence causing death.
Williams was released on bail while awaiting trial in that case and placed under a court order to refrain from sexual contact.
“Who’s going to keep dibs on that? That’s not right,” Kelly said in July 2005.
“He’s walking the streets like a ticking bomb,” she alleged.
In June 2006, Williams was found guilty of one count of aggravated assault and all other charged were dropped. He served a year behind bars.
Police are once again warning the public about Williams.
“We fear there may be more victims,” Vella said.
“If so, those people need to be tested for HIV immediately,” he said.
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