Veteran Charged

by **Trooper** Fri 05 Mar 2021, 6:53 am

Decorated Canadian Forces veteran faces murder
charge in Lethbridge, Alta.

Published Thursday, March 4, 2021

CTV News

by **Forcell** Wed 17 Nov 2021, 10:56 am

London city worker charged in River Road arson is a military vet, records show

Michael Peter Belanger, 54, is charged with arson in the Nov. 7 fire at River Road Golf Course

Kate Dubinski · CBC · Posted: Nov 16, 2021

CBC NEWS

by **Forcell** Wed 16 Feb 2022, 11:29 am

N.S. veteran at Ottawa occupation allegedly pointed gun at another man in drunken Cape Breton video

Feb 15. 2022

Saltwire

by **Spider** Tue 15 Mar 2022, 9:45 am

Decorated Canadian veteran sentenced in death of former common-law partner

Published March 14, 2022

Veteran Charged Calgary--lethbridge--michelle-whitegrass--armed-fo-1-5334628-1647292091424

Melissa Dumaine Whitegrass was arrested March 2, 2021 and charged with first-degree murder.

A mother of three and decorated Canadian veteran of the war in Afghanistan has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for the death of her former common-law partner.

Melissa Dumaine Whitegrass, 37, was sentenced for dangerous driving causing death on March 9 and will serve just over two years after being given credit for pre-trial custody.

She was convicted for the June 2020 death of Austin James Forysth, 30, who was hit by a vehicle while walking in an alley near Ninth Avenue and 13th Street N, in Lethbridge. He died in hospital days later.

Charges of first-degree murder and assault with a weapon were withdrawn. Her licence will also be suspended for five years.

Whitegrass remained at the scene and initially told police the crash was accidental, however after a nine-month investigation it was deemed to be a case of domestic violence. Details outlined during the bail hearing cannot be reported due to a publication ban.

Police said Forsyth and Whitegrass were involved in a common-law relationship until 2017.

Whitegrass served in the military and was recognized for her bravery and sacrifice.

She was wounded in a deadly attack on a NATO convoy while serving in Afghanistan in 2010, suffering a concussion, broken ribs, a back injury and hearing loss.

The attack killed six NATO soldiers and 12 Afghan civilians.

Whitegrass was presented with the Chief of Defence Staff Commendation for her actions during the incident.

She was also selected to capture Stephen Harper, who was prime minister at the time, during a Kainai Chieftainship Ceremony in 2011, an honour traditionally given to warriors. Whitegrass was the first woman to be given that role.

CTV News

by Rocko Sun 07 Aug 2022, 5:31 pm

Former Petawawa soldier charged with murder after mass shooting in Belize

Retired master corporal John Roy Smith was arrested in a mass shooting that killed two and injured eight, including police officers

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Aug 07, 2022

A former Petawawa soldier has been charged with murder after a mass shooting in Belize killed two and injured eight, including police officers.

Retired master corporal John Roy Smith, 43, was arrested after the shootings at a night club on July 31 in Hopkins Village, a coastal community in southern Belize. He was originally charged by police with two counts of abetment to commit murder but on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Belize those charges were changed to murder.

Three other men, all from Belize, have also been charged with murder.

Police allege that Smith drove a getaway car for the gunmen. The shootings claimed the lives of two men, one from Belize and the other from the Honduras. Eight others were injured, including three police officers who were in the night club on a routine patrol.

Smith is a former member of 1 st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, based at Garrison Petawawa. He served from September 2001 to September 2011 before being medically released from the Canadian Army as a result of injuries sustained in Afghanistan. Smith had fought in Operation Medusa, a 2006 offensive against the Taliban in Kandahar, during which 12 Canadian soldiers were killed.

He later operated a furniture-making business in the Barrie, Ont., area but recently moved to Belize.

Smith and the other men are now in the Belize Central Prison. The allegations against them have not been proven in court.

The shootings have rocked the Caribbean nation. John Briceno, the Prime Minister of Belize, said Saturday at a news conference that such incidents are rare in his country. “I don’t think we could really find adequate words to express just the horror of what happened in Hopkins,” he said. “It’s something that’s so unbelievable. It’s something that, in my mind, just doesn’t happen here.”

The last time a mass shooting happened was in 2008, at a bar іn Веlіzе Сіtу whеn 14 реорlе wеrе ѕhоt, police said.

Belize news outlets broadcast video last week of the four handcuffed suspects guarded by heavily armed police as they were led into a court for an initial appearance. Smith appeared to have a black eye. Their next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 9.

Belize’s commissioner of police, Chester Williams, told journalists the incident appears to have started after the three men approached the girlfriend of one of the victims, 23-year old Noah Moro. An argument ensued and the three men left the nightclub, only to return shortly after armed with handguns. Moro was killed and then the men opened fire indiscriminately into the crowd, police said.

Another man, 56-year-old Honduran national, Emilio Garcia, who had reportedly tried to close the doors of the club to block the gunfire, was also shot and killed, the Belize newspaper, Amandala, reported.

Тhе thrее alleged gunmen thеn gоt іntо twо ѕерarate vеhісlеѕ, including one belonging to Smith, according to Belize police.

Williams said police in Belize had been aware of Smith but the former soldier kept himself largely under the radar. “He has been monitored by the police before but not to,” a great extent, Williams told reporters.

Smith is believed to have moved to Belize around six months ago but police suggested he had been in the country much longer.

“If you go on social media you will see that there are several pictures of him and the other accused men together, hanging out and these sorts of things,” said Williams. “So it shows they are very close associates.”

Smith’s Facebook page has a photo of him with the three accused.

After leaving the Canadian Army, Smith operated a business called Frontline Cabinetry and Furniture. The Barrie-area company made custom furniture, kitchens and bars. “My vision is to build my company into a household name,” he noted on his LinkedIn account. “With this, I plan on hiring other CF members transitioning to civilian life.”

But Smith closed down his business, citing pandemic-related restrictions as the reason. In an online video he blamed the Canadian government for choosing “big business over small business” because it allowed major stores to remain open during the pandemic but required small companies to shut down. Smith also complained of his treatment by the federal government, adding that Веlіzе “оwеѕ mе nоthіng, unlіkе Саnаdа.”

The video was removed from the internet shortly after Belize news outlets posted links to the footage.

Defence Watch

by **OutlawSoldier** Tue 04 Oct 2022, 7:02 am

Canadian Forces veteran who leads Diaglon appears in Saskatoon court

Jeremy MacKenzie was arrested by Nova Scotia RCMP and transported to Saskatoon to face charges of assault, pointing a firearm, using a restricted weapon in a careless manner, and mischief.

Oct 03. 2022

SASKATOON – A man who calls himself the “raging dissident” was arrested in Nova Scotia and brought to Saskatchewan to appear in Saskatoon Provincial Court Monday.

Jeremy MacKenzie, 36, was arrested in Cole Harbour by the Nova Scotia RCMP and transported to Saskatoon. His matter was adjourned to Friday for a show cause hearing.

MacKenzie was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for the last six months on charges stemming from an alleged incident earlier this year. Saskatoon RCMP say that they received a report of an assault in the R.M. of Viscount in March. In July, police charged MacKenzie with assault, pointing a firearm, using a restricted weapon in a careless manner, and mischief.

In March, he was charged with harassment and intimidation in connection with a protest outside of the home of Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health.

Previously, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre asked the RCMP to investigate MacKenzie after he talked about sexually assaulting Poilievre's wife during a live-streamed video.

MacKenzie, who is a podcaster, founded the online group Diaglon. On social media, he describes himself as “unacceptable and extreme alt-right,” a sit-down comedian, and anti-government. He also says he is a former Stormtrooper with the Canadian Armed Forces.

A recent House of Commons report labelled Diaglon as an ideologically motivated extremist group. The report states that the group consists of former Canadian Forces members who have real combat training and capabilities, and have "grown increasingly radicalized.”

The charges against MacKenzie haven’t been tested in court.

Sask Today News

by Lionfield Fri 23 Dec 2022, 11:24 am

Belize murder charge against former Petawawa soldier to be dropped

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Published Dec 23, 2022

A former Petawawa soldier, charged with murder after a mass shooting in Belize killed two and injured eight, has been released from jail because of a lack of evidence.

Prosecutors have indicated they will drop the charge against retired master corporal John Roy Smith.

The 43-year-old had been arrested after the shooting at a night club on July 31 in Hopkins Village, a coastal community in southern Belize. He was originally charged by police with abetment to commit murder but on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Belize, the charge was changed to murder.

Three other men, all from Belize, were also charged with murder.

But on Tuesday, Smith was released after a Belize court determined there was insufficient evidence for him to face trial.

After being released, Smith told journalists in Belize he had no involvement in the shooting.

“It feels great because I have maintained my innocence since the first day,” Smith said in an interview with 7 News, a television station in Belize. “I should never have been put in prison to begin with and I’m sorry that people got hurt that night. I had nothing to do with it and I’m a free man now and I’m gonna go live free.”

Police alleged Smith drove a getaway car for the gunmen. The shootings claimed the lives of two men, one from Belize and the other from Honduras. Eight others were injured, including three police officers who were in the nightclub on a routine patrol.

Police claimed at the time of his arrest that Smith was a close associate of the other men who had been charged. Belize’s commissioner of police, Chester Williams, said the incident appeared to have started after the three men approached the girlfriend of one of the victims, 23-year-old Noah Moro. An argument ensued and the three men left the nightclub, only to return shortly after armed with handguns. Moro was killed and then the men opened fire indiscriminately into the crowd, police said.

Another man, 56-year-old Honduran national, Emilio Garcia, who had reportedly tried to close the doors of the club to block the gunfire, was also shot and killed.

Тhе alleged gunmen thеn gоt іntо twо ѕерarate vеhісlеѕ, including one belonging to Smith, according to Belize police.

But Smith’s lawyer Dickie Bradley suggested to 7 News Belize that Smith was trying to help those fleeing the mass shooting.

“Remember this happened at night, everything happened so quickly,” said Bradley. “He had been trying to assist and tell people ‘jump into my vehicle.’ He drove to the police station in Hopkins (but) there was nobody there.”

Bradley said the prosecutors reviewed the file against his client and “they are satisfied that the evidence gathered by the police investigators is not sufficient to hold up in a court of law.”

He said prosecutors have indicated the charge against Smith will be withdrawn.

The mass shooting rocked the Caribbean nation. John Briceno, the Prime Minister of Belize, said at a news conference that such incidents are rare in his country.

Three other men are still facing murder charges.

Smith is a former member of 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, based at Garrison Petawawa. He served from September 2001 to September 2011 before being medically released from the Canadian Army as a result of injuries sustained in Afghanistan. Smith had fought in Operation Medusa, a 2006 offensive against the Taliban in Kandahar, during which 12 Canadian soldiers were killed.

After leaving the Canadian Army, Smith operated a business called Frontline Cabinetry and Furniture. The Barrie-area company made custom furniture, kitchens and bars. “My vision is to build my company into a household name,” he noted on his LinkedIn account. “With this, I plan on hiring other CF members transitioning to civilian life.”

But Smith closed down his business, citing pandemic-related restrictions as the reason. In an online video, he blamed the Canadian government for choosing “big business over small business” because it allowed major stores to remain open during the pandemic but required small companies to shut down. Smith also complained of his treatment by the federal government, adding that Веlіzе “оwеѕ mе nоthіng, unlіkе Саnаdа.”

The video was removed from the internet shortly after Belize news outlets posted links to the footage.

Defence Watch

by **Zoneforce** Sun 03 Dec 2023, 8:22 am

Man charged in Winnipeg rooming house
shootings was in Canadian military

Jamie Randy Felix charged with 4 counts of 2nd-degree murder in Nov. 26 Langside Street shooting

Sarah Petz, Caitlyn Gowriluk · CBC News · Posted: Dec 01, 2023

A photo from Jamie Felix's Instagram show him in a military uniform. He was arrested by Winnipeg police on Friday and faces four charges of second-degree murder, and one of attempted murder, in the Nov. 26 shootings of five people in the West Broadway neighbourhood. (Jamie Randy Felix/Instagram)

CBC News

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