FRIDAY
MARCH 6, 2015
TRI-CITIES
property tax rate, in part to pay for the upkeep of city facilities
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thenownews.com
THE NOW
MODEST TAX HIKE Port Moody looks to raise its
FASHION IN FOCUS Show this weekend at the
Port Moody Station Museum focuses on historic trends
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Serving COQUITLAM, PORT COQUITLAM, PORT MOODY, ANMORE and BELCARRA since 1984
Guilty plea coming in hit-and-run Jeremy DEUTSCH
jdeutsch@thenownews.com The man charged in a hitand-run that killed a PoCo teen is expected to plead guilty in a couple of weeks.
Irwin Richard Franz was scheduled for a court appearance in PoCo Thursday to enter a guilty plea to a charge of failing to stop at an accident causing bodily harm. However, his court appear-
ance was held over until March 18. Franz is accused of hitting 16-year-old Annie Leung and taking off while the teen was crossing Mary Hill Road in a crosswalk on Sept. 13,
2013. She was a student at Riverside Secondary. Following the crash, Coquitlam Mounties put out several appeals to the public for information, including a surveillance video of
the crash shortly after it took place. It shows a man getting out of a black truck and assessing the crash scene. When charges were announced, police confirmed investigators had spoken
with Franz. He also told the media after the charges were announced that he was in shock after the incident and, in a panic, went home instead of staying at the scene.
Citadel Heights focus of fraud ring They seized the following: • Equipment for making and jdeutsch@thenownews.com altering identification and credit A fraud ring involving stolen mail cards, • Stolen mail from around the and I.D. that could have as many as 1,000 victims has been smashed by Lower Mainland, • A loaded hand gun and extra local Mounties. On Wednesday, Coquitlam RCMP ammunition, • A shot gun and offered details of an extra ammunition, investigation into • More than the case, which net$10,000 in cash, ted the arrest of two • Stolen property men in PoCo and the Mail theft now recovery of mail and stems into every from around the Lower Mainland, other items stolen property crime, • Tools used for from around the including violent stealing mail, Lower Mainland. • One high-end “The days of loscrime, Lowerplasma cutter and ing your cash out of Mainland wide. two torque multiplia birthday card in ers, your mail are gone. – RCMP Cpl. Scott • Controlled subMail theft now stems Grimmer stances, into every property • A high-end crime, including violent crime, Lower-Mainland wide,” stolen bicycle, • A stolen motorcycle. said RCMP Cpl. Scott Grimmer of Police held a news conference the detachment’s prolific target at the Coquitlam RCMP detachteam, the unit that busted the ring. After executing a search warrant ment to display a room full of items at a home in the Citadel Heights recovered in the investigation. In all, investigators recovered area of PoCo, police uncovered what investigators described as a 721 pieces of stolen mail and more fully functioning credit card factory. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Jeremy DEUTSCH
LISA KING/NOW
At a press conference Wednesday, RCMP Cpl. Scott Grimmer shows off some of the items seized as part of an investigation into a PoCo fraud ring. For more photos, scan this page with Layar.
All St. John’s OFFICIAL GRAND Street Businesses OPENING WEEKEND receive 15% off MEALS* MARCH 13-15TH 3224 St. Johns Street, Port Moody
*Must show proof of workplace with ID. *11:30am-3pm Monday – Thursday. Expires March 31st.