Woman’s bid to tip police hit hurdles
Commuter says she had trouble passing on information about suspect seen on ferry
Given a chance, Heather Pelletier would have loved to have been a detective. So last weekend, when she spotted someone she thought was wanted by police, she was eager to help.
But she says she had to go to unusual lengths to pass along her tip.
The sighting happened on Jan. 12, on the 11 a.m. ferry from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay. Pelletier had left her vehicle about 45 minutes into the sailing in search of food, when she saw a man who appeared to be sleeping. His distinctive face and neck tattoos drew her attention.
Pelletier had just read a news article about Rourke Desmanche, who was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for allegedly violating his parole.
Desmanche was serving a prison sentence for manslaughter.
The 29-year-old London, Ont., man was convicted of shaking his 10-week-old son, Kurious George, and causing his death in 2010.
He had last been seen three days earlier in Chilliwack.
“I felt very strongly that was him,” Pelletier said.
She re-read the article and then walked by the man again, this time snapping his photo.
The article had said to call Crime Stoppers, so shortly before noon — about 40 minutes before the ferry docked — she called the number provided. She told the person on the other end who she thought she had seen, what had happened, and said she had a photo of the man she believed was Desmanche.
“(The call taker) basically just said, ‘I can’t help you,’ ” Pelletier said. “I was stunned, so I didn’t even really know what to say.”
Next, she tried the Chilliwack RCMP, but was told to call a police department closer to the ferry terminal. Pelletier then called Victoria police, who said they couldn’t help her either, but patched her through to someone else. Again, she hit a dead end.
Undeterred, Pelletier eventually contacted a friend who works in corrections.
A couple of hours later, she received a call from Victoria police and felt like she was finally taken seriously.
Desmanche was arrested the next day in Victoria after he was recognized by an officer. Pelletier said she later confirmed that it was Desmanche she had seen on the ferry.
After her experience, Pelletier is concerned police may be missing important tips.
“I was just really annoyed. As a police officer, I would be mortified if this information is coming in and it could be an easy grab, but nobody listened,” she said. “That was not right. It wasn’t right what happened, in my opinion.”
Linda Annis, executive director of Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers, called the situation Pelletier described “highly unusual.” She said Crime Stoppers responds right away when a call is received, and call takers are not supposed to make any judgments when they receive information, but simply pass it on.
Annis said she would have to look into the situation further.
B.C. RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Janelle Shoihet said she couldn’t comment on what happened in this case, specifically, but it’s unusual for a person to have to call multiple police agencies or detachments to give information.
She said if they don’t want to remain anonymous, a person’s best bet is to call the closest police department.
From there, information can be acted upon or passed along to the right body.
Shoihet said police don’t want the public to be discouraged from giving tips to police, and if they have a negative experience they should follow up directly with the detachment. She invited Pelletier to do the same. “We are looking for the public’s assistance. It’s an integral part of our investigation,” Shoihet said.
“In our case, we may have two or three investigators looking at it, but if we have whole communities of people, it certainly does help us.”
Victoria police did not respond to a request for comment.