Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. Fishing Guide And His Client Accused Of Trying To Corral Deer In Water

The Canadian Press, 07 Aug, 2015 11:16 AM
    KITIMAT, B.C. — A British Columbia fishing guide and his Portuguese client face several charges over allegations they tried to catch a deer while it was swimming in the Douglas Channel, on the northern coast.
     
    Charges have been laid against Andreas Handl, who runs Kingfish Westcoast Adventure Tours, and Rodolofo Martins-Lopes over an incident that's alleged to have happened May 14.
     
    Both men face one criminal charge each of causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal.
     
    The are also accused of three charges under the Wildlife Act, including harassing wildlife with a motor vehicle, hunting big game while it is swimming and hunting wildlife during closed season.
     
    Conservation officer Ryan Gordon said the men are alleged to have used their boat near Kitimat in an attempt to corral and capture the mule deer.
     
    "We don't know, actually, if the deer has been killed or not," he said.
     
    Gordon said he could release few other details while the charges proceed through court.
     
    Handl's lawyer appeared on his behalf in a Kitimat court Thursday, while Martins-Lopes made a first appearance in mid-July and is due back on Sept. 1.
     
    Gordon said the allegations came to light when video was posted on social media. 
     
    "That wasn't confirmed by our agency, but the individuals who called in the complaint, and there were several of them, had witnessed the video on Facebook." 
     
    Vancouver lawyer Don Sorochan, who represents Martins-Lopes, said the deer was not harmed.
     
    "It swam off and wandered into the woods," Sorochan said in an interview.
     
    Sorochan added that he hopes to resolve the matter as soon as next month. He said his client is back at home in Portugal.
     
    The video only shows the deer swimming, he said.
     
    It  has been removed from the site and Gordon said no one from the B.C. Conservation Officer Service had seen it.
     
    When reached by phone, Handl said he didn't want to make a statement until he spoke to his lawyer.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Homeless In Abbotsford Not Responsible For Defecating In Parks: Lawyer

    Homeless In Abbotsford Not Responsible For Defecating In Parks: Lawyer
    The City of Abbotsford is wrong to blame the homeless for defecating in public spaces after dumping chicken manure at encampments in an effort to evict people, a lawyer has argued

    Homeless In Abbotsford Not Responsible For Defecating In Parks: Lawyer

    Russia's Arctic Claim To North Pole To Put Political Heat On Canada, Expert

    Russia's Arctic Claim To North Pole To Put Political Heat On Canada, Expert
    A defence expert says Russia's new bid for a vast swath of Arctic territory, including the North Pole, backs Canada into an uncomfortable corner in future negotiations over the frozen region.

    Russia's Arctic Claim To North Pole To Put Political Heat On Canada, Expert

    B.C. First Nation Makes Cash, Land Agreement In Steps Towards Treaty

    B.C. First Nation Makes Cash, Land Agreement In Steps Towards Treaty
    TERRACE, B.C. — The Kitselas First Nation has signed multimillion-dollar cash and land agreement-in-principle with the provincial government.

    B.C. First Nation Makes Cash, Land Agreement In Steps Towards Treaty

    Community Rallies To Save Beached Whales On Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island

    Community Rallies To Save Beached Whales On Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island
    A resident of a small community on Cape Breton's west coast says about 25 people rallied to try and save 16 beached pilot whales today after they became stuck on the rocky shores of St. George's Bay.

    Community Rallies To Save Beached Whales On Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island

    Search Ends Tragically For Bryce Gray Missing In Northwestern B.C. Lake

    Search Ends Tragically For Bryce Gray Missing In Northwestern B.C. Lake
    The body of a teenager has been pulled from a lake in northwestern B.C., ending a nearly week-long search.

    Search Ends Tragically For Bryce Gray Missing In Northwestern B.C. Lake

    Two Dead, Three Wounded In Toronto's Muzik Nightclub Shooting

    Two Dead, Three Wounded In Toronto's Muzik Nightclub Shooting
    Two people are dead and three others are in hospital following an overnight shooting that began inside a packed Toronto nightclub that was hosting the official after-party of rapper Drake's annual OVO Fest.

    Two Dead, Three Wounded In Toronto's Muzik Nightclub Shooting