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KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK THURSDAY
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DECEMBER 11, 2014 | Volume 27 No. 147
Nurse attacked, alarm system did not work DALE BASS STAFF REPORTER dale@kamloopsthisweek.com
On the day a doctor was beaten by a patient in a psychiatric unit in Penticton, a nurse at Hillside Centre in Kamloops was also assaulted. Two days later, the same nurse was attacked again while on duty at the psychiatric centre adjacent to Royal Inland Hospital — and help could not be summoned because the alarm system nurses are supposed to use did not work, according to a representative of the B.C. Nurses’ Union (BCNU). Tracey Quewezance, the Thompson-North Okanagan BCNU representative, said the nurse is now at home resting and dealing with pain and bruises. She said the second attack saw a patient grab the nurse by her head, punch her, pull hair out and throw her into a wall. Quewezance said the nurse did not report the Friday, Dec. 5 incident, which involved a patient with dementia, because she felt the injuries weren’t worth documenting. That was the same day a doctor at Penticton Regional Hospital was attacked and left unconscious in his office by a patient who walked out and told staff he thought he had killed the physician. Police arrested 30-year-old patient Gregory Nield of Summerland. He has been charged with assault causing bodily harm and aggravated assault. He is in custody pending a psychiatric assessment. Quewezance said at least weekly — and, often, daily — a nurse in her region is attacked while on duty. Staff at Hillside have waited almost three years for a reliable personal-alarm system, she said. WorkSafe BC told the Interior Health Authority (IHA) in 2012 the system had to be replaced, repeating the order in September 2013. A new system is being installed, Quewezance said, but there are problems with parts and it has again been delayed. See 31 INCIDENCES A4
ACCUSED SHOOTER OF KAMLOOPS MOUNTIE ASSOCIATED WITH BACON BROTHERS, OTHER GANGS TIM PETRUK STAFF REPORTER tim@kamloopsthisweek.com
The man accused of shooting Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Jean-Rene Michaud last week is associated with two gangs and has in the past been ordered by justice officials to have no contact with the notorious Bacon brothers. Kenneth Knutson’s release documents from the Parole Board of Canada, obtained by KTW, detail his history of violent criminal behaviour involving police and specifically note his tendency to be reckless with guns and vehicles. “You are considered to be involved with two criminal gangs,” the documents read. “You have denied this association, but there is reasonable and persuasive information suggesting your drug activities are closely linked to gang activity. “The judge at your sentencing commented on your continuing to be involved in dangerous behaviour in spite of earlier incarcerations and you appear to participate in deliberate risk-taking in relation to guns and vehicles.” In the early-morning hours of Dec. 3, Michaud was shot while performing a traffic stop on a vehicle in Batchelor Heights. He remains in critical condition at Royal Inland Hospital, but he has been taken out of an induced coma and is now communicating with doctors and his family. Knutson was arrested after an intense
Kenneth Knutson, 36, is charged with attempted murder in connection to the Dec. 3 shooting of Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Jean-Rene Michaud.
manhunt that lasted more than 12 hours. The 36-year-old is facing numerous charges, including attempted murder. He is a convicted killer with a lengthy criminal record for violent and drugrelated offences. Twice in the past, Knutson has served time for offences involving direct altercations with police. In 2001, he put out a cigarette on an officer’s arm during an arrest. In 2008, he rammed a police cruiser while being pursued by officers. Knutson was charged with seconddegree murder following the 2002 shooting death of one of his associates.
That charge was later reduced to manslaughter and the Crown accepted a guilty plea to the reduced charge of criminal negligence causing death. Knutson’s parole documents show he was denied release twice before being granted statutory release to live in a halfway house with special conditions in March 2012: “Not to associate with any person you know or have reason to believe is involved in criminal activity including Soldiers Incorporate, Red Scorpions and the Bacon brothers.” The documents also describe Knutson’s time behind bars, which was filled with assaults, contraband and stays in segregation. He is described in the documents as being “far from a model prisoner” with “poor anger management” behind bars. The documents cite three jailhouse assaults involving Knutson, each of which resulted in time in segregation. He was also found to have contraband materials in his possession and, at one point, corrections officers found a shank (homemade knife) hidden in his cell. Knutson also served 15 days in segregation following an altercation with a corrections officer during which he spat on the officer and threw a tray of food at him, the documents state. Knutson is slated to appear in Kamloops provincial court for a bail hearing on Thursday, Dec. 18. Marquee Klim, who is charged with obstructing police in relation to the shooting, is expected in court today (Dec. 11).
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