Pipe bombing case slowed to ‘snail’s pace’
Fresh evidence may be called at the sentencing hearing of a Penticton man who admitted to setting off a series of pipe bombs that rattled the city.
Blair Robert Balch previously pleaded guilty in provincial court to the criminal offences of mischief and making or possessing explosives in March 2021. His sentencing hearing began June 14 and was initially set to conclude with a decision June 28.
Crown counsel Kurt Froehlich has called for a jail sentence in the range of three to six months, which Balch fears would cause him to lose his suite at a local supportive housing facility. In response to those concerns, defence counsel James Pennington suggested a term of house arrest.
But rather than deliver his decision as planned on June 28, Judge Greg Koturbash asked the lawyers to provide clarification on some of the facts of the case: police linked Balch to three explosions, despite Balch admitting to only two; and police linked Balch to at least one unexploded device similar to the ones Balch made but for which Balch didn’t take credit.
The judge also wanted to hear from the lawyers about whether or not house arrest is even an option because the charge of mischief carries with it a maximum penalty of more than two years’ jail.
When the parties returned to court on
Monday, both Pennington and Froehlich said they still need more time to answer the judge’s questions.
Froehlich also alluded to the possibility of calling new evidence from a member of a “specialist unit” that is based in the Lower Mainland.
The judge adjourned the matter for another week but asked the lawyers to ensure the case remains a priority.
“It’s been moving along at a snail’s pace, and I appreciate that it’s a unique case, but it also needs to be dealt with in a fairly expeditious fashion moving forward,” said Koturbash.
The specialist unit to which the Crown referred is likely the B.C. RCMP bomb squad, which helped investigate Balch’s case.
Court heard previously that about a month after sporadic reports of loud explosions began appearing on social media, the Penticton RCMP announced on March 9, 2021, it had opened an investigation after finally discovering a pair of blast sites: one at the King’s Park soccer fields and another on the grounds of Carmi Elementary School.
Balch turned himself in to police soon after and admitted his role in the blasts, which he said were created with techniques he learned on YouTube using material from sparklers of the type used on birthday cakes.
No one was injured and Balch has claimed he was simply trying to see how loud of blasts he could create.