Six new murder charges

By DARREN HANDSCHUH Monday, April 30, 2007 http://www.dailycourier.ca/stories.php?id=41506

Vernon RCMP have laid more charges in connection to a series of murders involving an alleged local crime gang. Cpl. Henry Proce said Douglas Brownell, 37, has been charged with the first degree murder of Ronald Thom. Thom is one of seven people who are missing or dead and are believed to be victims of the organized crime gang known as the Greeks. Brownell was arrested Friday evening in Vernon. Thom‘s body was found along Commonage Road on May 31, 2005. “He is the definition of a prolific offender,” Proce said of Brownell who has an extensive criminal record and is allegedly involved in the local drug scene. Proce said Brownell was not an active member of the gang, and described him as an “associate or wannabe.” “He‘s a good person to get off the streets,” added Proce. The arrest is the latest development in the ongoing case that began in September, 2005 when the police task force, E-peccant, was established with the mandate of investigating the seven murders that occurred over an 11-month time frame between July, 2004 and June, 2005. Thom is the fourth murder police have now laid charges in. “Police have determined these murders are all drug related and attributed to a local organized crime group known as the Greeks,” said Proce.

Charged with first-degree murder to date are Peter Manolakos, Andre Raymond, Dale Sipes, Sheldon O‘Donnell and Brownell. Charges in the Thom murder have been dropped against Leslie Podolski, but Podolski is still facing first-degree murder charges in the death of David Marniuk. Police are continuing to investigate the murders of Thomas Bryce, Stanley Polak and Belinda Scott. Eric Fish has been charged with the murder of Jeffrey Drake. Proce said police do not believe Fish is a member of the Greeks, but he was involved with the drug culture. Fish is also charged with the murder of local senior Bill Abramenko who was killed in his home. There is no connection between the Abramenko murder and any of the other killings, according to police.

The task force has 12 members investigating the murders full time. “The progress in these murders has been significant and police anticipate the laying of additional charges in these homicides in the near future,” said Proce. One person has already pled guilty and been sentenced in the murder of Robert Hewison. Sgt. Al Haslett, who is heading up Operation E-Peccant, said police are not saying who the suspect was. “We are not prepared to release his name at this time because it‘s all part of the bigger picture we‘re working on,” said Haslett, adding the unidentified suspect pled guilty in Vancouver two weeks ago. A member of Hewison‘s family refused to comment on this development saying only that the family now has closure. Hewison‘s body was found on the Okanagan Indian Band reserve in March 2005. Proce said the impact of shutting down the Greeks has been significant for the city. Proce said not a single homicide has happened since the organized crime group was dismantled. There are ongoing drug problems in the city, but Proce said the degree of violence has decreased as well from where “people were literally being beaten to death” before the Greeks were shut down. Proce said he has not heard of any other organized crime group stepping to fill the void in the local drug trade.