Offender faces new charge
Already serving an indefinite prison sentence as a dangerous offender, one of the South Okanagan’s most notorious criminals is facing a new charge for allegedly communicating with one of his victims.
Oliver man Wayne Belleville, who was shot by Ronald Teneycke and left for dead at the side of a forestry road in July 2015, said he received a Christmas card and letter by mail from Teneycke in early December.
“He basically says that he will never forgive himself for shooting me, but then he goes on to say it’s my fault. That’s how he sees himself: He’s always the victim,” Belleville said.
“I was very angry when I first read it. Just the nerve of the guy to basically blame me, a Good Samaritan, as someone who offered him help.”
Teneycke was wanted by police for an armed robbery in Oliver when Belleville, who was out collecting wood for his furniture-making business, spotted him hitchhiking on the isolated road.
After getting into Belleville’s truck, Teneycke pulled a gun, prompting Belleville to pull over and run. As he fled, Belleville was shot once in the back, after which Teneycke drove off in the truck.
He was arrested a day later after a police chase in Cawston.
Belleville recovered and attended most of Teneycke’s subsequent court dates, including his final appearance in March 2018, when Teneycke was declared a dangerous offender and ordered to have no contact with his victims.
Since turning over the letter to police, Belleville has been told officials at Kent Institution in Agassiz, where Teneycke is being held, were unaware of the no-contact order and therefore didn’t intercept the Christmas missive.
“That seems incredible,” said Belleville. “He’s a dangerous offender. He’s in maximum security.”
Teneycke’s first appearance on the new charge of failing to comply with a noncommunication order is set for this Friday in provincial court in Penticton.
Even with an indeterminate sentence, Teneycke will be eligible for day parole in four years and full parole in seven years. However, he would have to convince the Parole Board of Canada that he can be safely released, and would then be placed under supervision in the community.
Although his criminal record dates back to 1981, Teneycke gained notoriety in 2007, when police in the South Okanagan warned the public about his release from prison after completing a 12year sentence for sexual assaulting a teenager and threatening to kill a probation officer.