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17-year-old missing in Bellingham; last seen walking to school

17-year-old missing in Bellingham; last seen walking to school

Yahooa day ago

A Missing Indigenous Person Alert has been issued for Bellingham teen who hasn't been seen since he left for school Wednesday morning.
Washington State Patrol (WSP) said 17-year-old Damien George was last seen around 7 a.m. leaving his home off Smokehouse Road on June 11.
The alert was activated on behalf of the Lummi Nation Police Department.
He is 5′6″ and weighs around 130 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. WSP said he was last seen wearing a black hoodie, black sweatpants and blue shoes.
Call 911 you see him.

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'I wish you had killed me,' woman tells attacker in court after being abandoned in Winnipeg dumpster
'I wish you had killed me,' woman tells attacker in court after being abandoned in Winnipeg dumpster

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

'I wish you had killed me,' woman tells attacker in court after being abandoned in Winnipeg dumpster

A woman who was brutally beaten, forced into a duffel bag and abandoned in a dumpster on a freezing night in Winnipeg says she still lives with reminders of that attack — from how she can't stand the sound of duct tape being unwrapped, to the scar on her lower lip from being kicked in the face by a man she'd never met before. "I wish you had killed me so I don't have to keep living like this anymore — so I can put the pain away," the woman read from a victim impact statement in a Winnipeg courtroom Thursday, flanked by supporters as she directly addressed Joey Audy, who pleaded guilty to attempted murder in the December 2023 attack. "You made my life … unbearable to even keep living for. Since this incident, I have struggled with many things. But I know I'm strong and I can get through this." Prosecutors said while several people were involved in the attack where the woman was held hostage for hours before being "buried alive and left to die" in the dumpster, it was Audy who was ultimately behind the assault on the vulnerable Indigenous woman, who court heard is only four feet, 11 inches tall and lives with global developmental delay. "[She] could very well have ended up another missing and murdered Indigenous woman, and that's something that she is acutely aware of," Crown attorney Courtney St. Croix said. In addition to attempted murder, Audy is charged with robbery in a separate incident. Prosecutors are seeking a total sentence of 20 years on the charges, with St. Croix noting if not for Audy's guilty plea and Gladue factors related to his own life as an Indigenous person, they would likely be recommending a life sentence. Defence lawyer Mike Cook asked for a total sentence of 10 years, saying Audy's childhood was marked by isolation, abuse and child welfare system involvement. He said Audy has been diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, and was born in drug withdrawal because of his mother's addictions. "I cannot conceive of a more difficult start to one's life," Cook said. "Joey Audy deserves to be sent to prison, but not crushed by the length of his prison term." When given the chance to speak, Audy stood from where he listened in the prisoner's box and said he was sorry. What happened that night The events that led to the woman's assault were set in motion around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 9, 2023. As the then 26-year-old victim was waiting for a bus, she was approached by a man who told her, "You're coming with me," before grabbing and leading her onto a bus, a statement of agreed facts provided to court said. He took her to an apartment on Carlton Street in downtown Winnipeg, where five people the woman didn't know were inside: Audy, co-accused Romeo Miles and Evelyn McKay, and Lorde Barrios and Misty Bird, who lived in the suite. Barrios and Bird were initially charged in connection with the assault, but later had their charges stayed. Both Audy and Miles were members of the Savage Bloods street gang, and had come to the suite to recruit Barrios, the court document said. When the victim got to the apartment, she went to the washroom — at which point the man she came with was told to leave. When she came back out, Audy asked who brought her there and she mistakenly pointed to Barrios, the document said. When Barrios denied knowing her, Audy accused the victim of being a "narc" or a "rat" and told McKay to search her for wires. He told the woman to put her jacket and backpack in the middle of the room, then punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground. He continued to punch and kick her until her nose bled. WATCH | Assault victim 'could no longer defend herself,' Winnipeg police said in December 2023: Audy told McKay and Bird to tie the victim up and cover her mouth with duct tape. She was then put underneath a bed, where the woman said she believes she lost consciousness. Audy and Miles left with the woman's things, including her cellphone, jacket and diabetes medications, and Audy said he'd be back to "collect" the woman. She was left tied up until around 8 p.m., when Barrios and Bird took her out of the apartment with them, because they wanted to play VLTs. Barrios gave her $5 to play, the document said. They went back to the suite around 8:40 p.m., and Audy finally returned shortly after. Sometime after midnight, Audy told McKay to tie the victim up again. She was tied up, assaulted and blindfolded, before being zipped into a small hockey bag, which Audy then took downstairs and threw into a dumpster. It wasn't until almost a full hour later that Bird and Barrios rescued the woman, bringing her back to the suite to shower and giving her food, clothes and her diabetes medication. The next day, Bird helped get the victim on a bus, where she went directly to the Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg with injuries including a broken nose. McKay previously pleaded guilty to forcible confinement and was sentenced to 39 months, while Miles got 18 months after pleading guilty to robbery. Another woman, who got zip ties and rope to restrain the victim, was also previously sentenced to a year after pleading guilty to forcible confinement. Provincial court Judge Rachel Rusen reserved her decision on Audy's sentence.

'Scam': Métis minister slams court's leniency to fraudster making dubious Indigenous claim
'Scam': Métis minister slams court's leniency to fraudster making dubious Indigenous claim

Hamilton Spectator

time3 hours ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

'Scam': Métis minister slams court's leniency to fraudster making dubious Indigenous claim

A Métis cabinet minister has criticized the sentencing of a convicted fraudster after she received time off her sentence by claiming Métis heritage, despite there being 'no Indigenous identifiers for any known ancestors'. 'We're the ones who get to decide who's us,' said Will Goodon, the minister of housing and property management for the Manitoba Métis Federation. '(Being Indigenous is) not about just standing up in the middle of a crowd and saying 'I'm Métis.'' His comments come after Ashley Gallie was sentenced to a combined six years in two separate cases — including 18 months for trafficking and gun crimes, plus four years and six months for fraud and possession for the purpose of trafficking. Gallie, 40, originally of Oshawa, was nabbed by Toronto police on Oct. 15, 2022 after they conducted a search warrant in a motel room. During the search, investigators allegedly discovered Gallie with drugs, including crack and fentanyl, along with a gun, ammunition and more than $10,000 in cash. In the other case, she was accused of stealing thousands worth of OxyContin pills from two Toronto pharmacies, totalling a street value of up to $194,000, court documents state. In the aftermath of her multiple arrests, the mother of three lost the custody of her child who is under three years old. During her first trial, in regards to fraud and theft from the pharmacies, Gallie said she was of Indigenous descent, claiming Mi'kmaq heritage. She told the author of her pre-sentence report she had her Métis status card, of The Painted Feather of the Woodland Tribe. However, the court indicated the tribe was a 'for-profit organization' in Bancroft and not recognized by the Manitoba Métis Foundation, the Métis Nation of Ontario or the Government of Canada. 'The letter indicates that payment of a fee is required to be a member of that organization,' court documents read. 'There is no requirement of supporting documents to demonstrate any Indigenous ancestry of any family members. The cards are available to anyone who requests one.' A letter from Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS) explained they were unable to produce a Gladue report — a presentencing document intended to shed light on an offender's background and unique circumstances — as there 'were no Indigenous identifiers for any of the known ancestors in Gallie's family tree.' 'While there is no proof that Gallie is not Indigenous, there is no information before the court … to assist the court in how it could use her … background as a factor … on sentencing,' Justice Beverly Brown told the court in her reasons. However, in her second case, involving the alleged drug dealing and possession of a firearm and ammunition, the lack of a Gladue report did not stop Justice Brock Jones from deeming Gallie's background as a mitigating factor. 'Gallie considers herself Métis … While the letter from (ALS) indicates that the author is unable to complete a formal Gladue report, it does not question Gallie's Indigenous heritage,' the court heard. He went on to reiterate Gallie's claims that her grandfather informed her of her heritage before he passed away, not wanting to share it earlier due to his fear that his true identity would be discovered. 'That Gallie's connection to her culture was severed in the past is tragic, but sadly it is not uncommon,' he told the court. 'Her recent efforts to reconnect with that culture are meaningful and admirable.' Later in the mitigating factor section, Jones said Gallie's difficult life and 'Indigenous heritage' diminished her moral culpability to some extent. Goodon went on to say that he felt many in this day and age are trying to 'scam the system', including musicians like Buffy St. Marie and former Manitoba environment minister Kevin Klein , who was also a member of The Painted Feather of the Woodland Tribe. 'The suffering that's happened from our grandparents and their parents through the years of colonialism from actual Indigenous people gets diluted when there's folks … who try to use things like Gladue in order to give themselves a leg up,' he added. 'If you want to know who is Métis, why don't you ask the legitimate Métis governments that are out there? That's where we should be trying to end up — if you want to know who's us, ask us.' Gallie also faces a 10-year weapons prohibition and a DNA sample. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

Fourth policeman killed in clashes with Morales backers in Bolivia
Fourth policeman killed in clashes with Morales backers in Bolivia

Yahoo

time20 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Fourth policeman killed in clashes with Morales backers in Bolivia

A Bolivian policeman taken hostage by protesters has died after an explosive detonated on him, bringing to four the toll among officers who clashed with followers of ex-president Evo Morales, officials said Thursday. Supporters of Morales, who led the Andean country from 2006 to 2019, began blocking key roads on June 2 over electoral authorities' refusal to allow him to run for a fourth term in August 17 elections. The protests have since snowballed into a wider revolt over President Luis Arce's handling of a deep economic crisis, marked by severe shortages of hard currency and fuel. On Wednesday, three officers deployed to clear a roadblock in Llallagua, a mining town in the country's southwest, were shot dead in violent clashes with protesters, police said. On Thursday, Justice Minister Cesar Siles said a fourth officer, Cristan Calle Alcon, died. Deputy Interior Minister Jhonny Aguilera said Alcon had been "taken hostage by a horde" and was killed by "the use of dynamite" on his person -- apparently a device taped to his chest. Aguilera announced the military will be sent to Llallagua to "guarantee a state of calm and of peace." Several dozen people have been reported injured in clashes in the town since Tuesday. Other officers were also hurt Wednesday trying to clear roadblocks elsewhere in the country, including on the road connecting La Paz with Cochabamba, Morales' political stronghold. Bolivia's roads authority said there were 19 roadblocks left countrywide on Thursday. Morales, 65, has been barred by the Constitutional Court from seeking re-election but nevertheless attempted, in vain, to register as a candidate last month. The government accuses him of trying to sabotage the election by calling for blockades to sow chaos. The protesters' goal "is to encircle La Paz to force it into submission through hunger," President Arce said Wednesday as he announced a joint police and military operation against the blockades. On Monday, the attorney general said Morales was under investigation for "terrorism" for allegedly inciting the protests. Bolivia's first Indigenous president has been holed up in his central stronghold in the Cochabamba department since October to avoid arrest on charges of trafficking a minor. The charges relate to Morales's alleged sexual relationship with a 15-year-old with whom he is accused of fathering a child while in office. He denies the charges. Morales retains a large following in the South American country, particularly among Indigenous communities. gta/jac/mlr/bgs

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