Posted on 04/16/2008 12:27:42 PM PDT by dead
MERRITT, B.C. - The prime suspect in the murder of three young British Columbia children has been captured alive in Merritt, authorities say.
"He's alive," confirmed RCMP Assistant Commissioner Al Macintyre, the commander of criminal operations in B.C. He said Schoenborn was found near Merritt.
Police in Canada and the U.S. had been searching for Allan Dwayne Schoenborn, 40, since April 7 - the day after his three children were found dead in their mobile home.
Allan Dwayne Schoenborn, the prime suspect in the
slayings of his three children in Merritt, B.C., has been found.
Schoenborn had been watching the children, Kaitlynne, 10, Max, 8, and Cordon, 5, while their mother, Darcie Clarke, was out. According to police, Clarke discovered the bodies when she returned home from a shopping trip.
Neighbours later reported seeing police lead a devastated Clarke to a nearby ambulance and she was kept under police protection for days after the killings.
B.C. RCMP came under harsh criticism for their actions in the immediate aftermath of the deaths. The Mounties waited 20 hours before alerting the public that Schoenborn was the prime suspect and asking people to be on the lookout for him.
RCMP Assistant Commissioner Al Macintyre, however, defended their actions, saying they were following "process."
"Keep in mind, we had no one else to tell us what had happened in that residence," Macintyre explained. "Certainly (Schoenborn) was the last one who had access to the children, but the other person who would have known about it (Clarke) was in no condition to talk to us."
Schoenborn had three run-ins with the police in the days following his arrival in Merritt, a small resource town in B.C.'s Interior. Each time, Schoenborn, a man with previous criminal charges and a history of mental illness, was let go.
One of those times, he was arrested at his children's elementary school and charged with uttering threats against a young student and the principal.
The justice of the peace who freed Schoenborn on bail did so despite having "grave concerns" about the roofer, according to a transcript of his bail hearing.
"I know we're close to the line here on this one, but I am going to give Mr. Schoenborn a chance," justice of the peace Fraser Hodge said during an after-hours bail hearing conducted by phone April 3.
"I have grave concerns about both your record, and your behaviour . . . and particularly as (one of the current charges) relates to a young child."
Schoenborn said during the hearing that he was not a flight risk, a concern that prompted police to oppose his release.
"I am not very good with words, but I don't understand how he would - he would - he could come to that conclusion that I may flee from my family."
Schoenborn was charged last year with threatening his wife with violence but the charges were dropped after she recanted her allegations to police.
At the time, the mother had expressed fear for her safety, so the Crown convinced a provincial court judge to order a peace bond recognizance with conditions.
The day before the children were found dead, neighbours said they saw him flying kites with the three kids.
The tragedy has shocked the quiet community of 8,000 people in B.C.'s Central Interior. A steady stream of friends and strangers have visited a makeshift memorial at a stop sign across from the children's home since the weekend, dropping off stuffed toys and cards.
With files from the Vancouver Sun
The justice of the peace who freed Schoenborn on bail did so despite having "grave concerns" about the roofer, according to a transcript of his bail hearing.
"I know we're close to the line here on this one, but I am going to give Mr. Schoenborn a chance," justice of the peace Fraser Hodge said during an after-hours bail hearing conducted by phone April 3.
"I have grave concerns about both your record, and your behaviour . . . and particularly as (one of the current charges) relates to a young child."
Did Bill Clinton appoint any Canadian judges?
Horrible story all around.
Something the kids never had.
It's very sad.
That judge can carry the blame for the death of 3 children to his grave with him. This poor guy is disturbed. The judge was supposed to know better.
obama ears
His middle name is “Dwayne.”
Yet the judge decided to give him another shot, even though it obvious he knew it was a risky decision. Not risky enough for the judge, I guess, just risky for the kids.
>>Schoenborn had been watching the children, Kaitlynne, 10, Max, 8, and Cordon, 5, while their mother, Darcie Clarke, was out. According to police, Clarke discovered the bodies when she returned home from a shopping trip.<<
Sorry, I wouldn’t leave my dog with this guy.
Well, that's a shame.
Liberals cannot be judged on the results of their actions. His intentions were “good”.
The Middle Name of Doom!
Hasn’t our country suffered enough from the horrors of earism, you earist!
That kind of attitude is why we’ll all be paying repearations one day!
Schoenborn? He doesn’t look like he was born pretty.
...and he’s not the ugliest pervert ever. (Warning....fulgy!!!)
http://www.snopes.com/photos/people/peppers.asp
That was the basic consensus of my wife & me. We figured he'd probably try cooking the cats.
Unfortunately, it seems they were HIS kids.
"...the day after his three children were found dead...".
I'm have trouble trying to figure out which was the more desperate act for Clarke: leaving her kids with him; or breeding with him multiple times in the first place.
The RCMP: They Always Get There Man!
Or, I should have said:
The RCMP: They Eventually Get There, Man!
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