A former Revelstoke resident was found guilty of sexual assault and sexual interference of a person under 14 after a one day trial in Revelstoke court on Aug. 4.
Kenneth G. Meier, 52, who now lives in Cloverdale, B.C., was convicted in relation to a single incident between Jan. 1, 2003, and Jun. 30, 2005, in which he molested a pre-teen girl in Revelstoke.
The identity of the victim cannot be revealed due to a court-issued publication ban. Details of the trial have been left out to protect the victim.
The victim was the first to take the witness stand. She was calm in her testimony, relating what happened the day of the incident. She said she was alone with Meier in a room when he cornered her.
He was “just standing there,” she said. “He just walked towards me. He didn’t say anything.”
He grabbed her breasts, tried to take off her shorts, then touched her crotch area before taking off her shirt. All this time, he was silent, she testified.
“I kept telling him to stop,” she told the court. “I was scared.”
She was able to slip away from him and run away before anything more happened, she said.
“I ducked and grabbed my shirt and ran,” she said. She hid under a slide in a city park for about 45 minutes before walking home.
The incident wasn’t revealed until 2009 when the victim’s mother saw a message on her daughter’s Facebook page mentioning the assault, the mother told the court. She spoke to her daughter and they went to a school counsellor for help. At that point, police were notified and an investigation began.
When Meier took the witness stand, he denied all the allegations and said he never did anything inappropriate to the victim.
“I don’t recall ever being alone with [the victim],” he said. When questioned further, he flat out denied he was in a room with the girl at that time.
In the end, Justice Mark Takahashi gave more credibility to the witness’ testimony and that Meier was “loose with his recollection of matters.”
“On the whole, the testimony of Mr. Meier was unsatisfactory,” Takahashi told the court, adding the victim was consistent and credible with her telling of events.
He found Meier guilty of sexual assault and sexual interference of person under 14, though the second charges were immediately stayed by the crown.
Sentencing will take place at a later date, following a pre-sentence report.
Guilty plea entered for driving way over legal alcohol limit
A man plead guilty to driving nearly three times over the blood-alcohol limit in Revelstoke court on Aug. 3.
Bodi J. Maclean was stopped by police while driving a GMC pick-up truck on Oct. 23, 2010 in Revelstoke.
He was taken back to the police station, where he gave two breathalyzer readings of 0.23 – nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08, Revelstoke court heard.
MacLean was fined $1,200 plus a victim fine surcharge of $180 and handed a one year driving prohibition for the offence.
Fine issued for cocaine possession
A Revelstoke man was handed a $500 fine after being found in possession of one gram of cocaine.
Brendan Roebuck was stopped by police on May 15, 2010 after a mischief complaint was called in. During the investigation, he was found in possession of one gram of cocaine.
Judge Mark Takahashi fined Roebuck $500 for the transgression and gave him eight months to pay.
Man turns self in, pleads guilty to 2005 marijuana charge
A six-year-old matter was cleared up in Revelstoke court last Wednesday when Matthew G. Newman turned himself into police and plead guilty to possession of a controlled substance.
Newman, 27, was subject to a traffic stop when police detected the odour of marijuana in his vehicle. A search found 17 grams of marijuana in the car.
Newman turned himself into police on Aug. 2 after learning of the warrant and deciding to clear up his past transgressions.
Judge Mark Takahashi handed Newman a $300 fine, with six months to pay.
Man gets jail Time for breaching court orders
Ryan Luscombe was sentenced to 44 days in jail after pleading guilty to two counts of breach of undertaking of recognizance in Revelstoke court last Wednesday.
Luscombe is still facing charges of uttering threats, assault, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and unlawful confinement or imprisonment.
He is scheduled to appear in court again on Oct. 6, 2011.