John Stolarski’s Old Newspaper Clippings

With the exception of his first two years in the Force, John Stolarski spent his entire career as a RCMP Police Dog Services handler (1961 – 1988).

Throughout this career, John clipped newspaper articles about members who he had worked with.

Despite the fact that John has passed away, his family has agreed for us to re-post these articles for the interest of RCMP Veterans and current members of the Force.

BIG ROLE FOR DOG IN RCMP ACTION

An RCMP stakeout, in which a dog played a major part, came to light yesterday at the preliminary hearing of two residents of Afghanistan charged with importing 150 pounds of hashish into Canada.

In the preliminary hearing of Moemen Mohammad Khrykhawa and Abdul Wahid, both 24, there was also evidence that a member of the federal force helped unload 305 Afghanistan fur-lined coats in which the pair allegedly imported the hashish.

RCMP Const. Raymond Gauthier told of going to Dorval Airport Feb. 17 to check a suspect shipment of 13 bales.  With him went Jennie, a specially-trained dog, whose duty is to sniff out narcotics.

He told Judge Maurice Johnson the dog became excited and started to scratch at three of the boxes.  Constable Gauthier said he checked the three bales and, in the lining of one fur coat in each of the bales, discovered a brownish substance inside a plastic tub.

Constable Michel Laverdiere said a watch had been kept at the airport on information that a shipment of hashish was about to arrive. On Feb. 17, after the original discovery had been made, a delivery truck came to pick up the bales.

A member of the force went aboard with the driver and they unloaded the 13 bales at 1221 Crescent St., said witness, adding that the two accused had been in and out of this address, and another nearby, 1197 Crescent.

Constable Laverdiere said a search of Apt. 2 at 1197 turned up Wahid and an envelop full of documents, including three Afghanistan passports, all in the name of Wahid, although with different first names and dates of birth.

The other accused was arrested at 1221 Crescent.

Dorval cargo agent Willy Schwind said the accused had come to him to clear a shipment through customs. They paid storage of $233, plus terminal fees, on the shipment that came from A Afghanistan, via Frankfurt. The transportation fees had been paid at the point of departure.

Gerald Tremblay is acting for the federal government, Joel Guberman for the two accused.

MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER OF SCHOOL GIRL

RCMP Officer kneels beside the spot in woods near Victoria where a tracking dog found the body of Susan Freschi, 14, Wednesday. Police said murder is suspected. The girl had been missing since Tuesday night.`

May 13, 1965 – Victoria – David Leonard Robinson, 24, was charged Friday with capital murder in connection with the bludgeon death here of California school girl Susan Freschi.

Robinson, a slightly-built janitor, was remanded without plea to June 5.

Police said Robinson was arrested on a breaking and entering charge about the time his wife was giving birth to their first child, a son, one week ago.

The charge came 17 days after the body of the 14-year-old Glendale, Calif., school girl was found by a search party following and Victoria police.

Her nude body, beaten and bound, was found in a forest clearing ab out a quarter-mile from the home of her aunt, Mrs. Gladys Earnshaw.

The girl was living with her aunt while attending private school here.

She disappeared May 11 while walking from a bus stop to the Earnshaw home in a sparsely-settled, heavily wooded suburb.

Police said the girl apparently was beaten to death with a blood-stained rock found near the body.  Her hands were tied behind her back and her clothing and schoolbooks were scattered about.

An autopsy showed no evidence of rape, but a police spokesman said the crime appeared to have a sex motive.

The RCMP officer said a 20-man investigating team checked hundreds of leads – “putting aside their personal life and working 18 hours a day.”

The girl, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Freschi of Glendale, was buried in her home town the weekend following her death.

DOG NABS ESCAPEE OLSON UNDER LEAVES AT BORDER

Back In Custody – B.C.Penitentiary escapee Clifford Olson, 25, of Vancouver, was recaptured at Blaine, Wash., Wednesday and returned to Vancouver. Police dog found him under pile of leaves.

April 14, 1965 -B.C. Penitentiary escapee Clifford Olson was recaptured across the border in Blaine Wednesday night after hiding for three hours under a thin covering of leaves.

He was sniffed out by Vancouver city police dog Tiger after nearly 50 policemen from four forces had criss-crossed the area on foot without spotting him.

The search was concentrated in the Blaine border area after reports that a suspicious man there menaced two local high school students with a gun.

Aid Requested

Tiger and a second police dog were brought in when border patrol officers called for assistance from Canadian police forces.

Tiger was given the scent from a sweater known to have been worn by Olson.  Then the dog picked up his trail and in 50 seconds was standing over Olson’s hiding place in the leaves.

Olson was so well hidden that Tiger’s handlers, Const. Gerry Laughy, stood almost on top of  him without knowing he was there.

Laughy and a U.S. border patrol officer followed the dog to the spot and stood on either side of the animal.

The two men heard a voice say “OK, he’s got me,” but couldn’t see anyone as they approached the dog.

Laughy said: “When we got to Tiger he was nosing and pawing the leaves.  He exposed a piece of red-checked shirt around Olson’s stomach.  I reached down, shoved more leaves away and saw Olson’s face.”

Laugh said Tiger kept hurting Olson with his head, but did not bite or claw him.

“At first Olson wouldn’t get up … he said he was afraid of the dog and I had to assure him Tiger wouldn’t attack unless he saw a gun or was ordered to do it,” said Laughy.

Dog Praised

Laugh said that as Olson lifted himself up from the leaves himself up from the leaves he turned to his captors and said:

“He’s sure a good dog.  He knew what he was doing.”

It was the second time Olson had been captured by a Vancouver police dog.

Last July he was pinned to the ground in blackberry bushes in Richmond by dog Rinty, who was taken to the U.S. border with Tiger Wednesday and was searching in another area when Olson was found.

Pinned By Dog

Rinty had been taken to the Richmond search last summer after police chased Olson on a foot after a series of break-ins.

Police ordered Olson to come out of the blackberry bushes after the dog pinned him there.  Olson told them at that time:

“I cannot (come out).  The dog is on top of me.”

Following Olson’s latest capture he was taken to the U.S. border patrol office at Blaine and then handed over to Vancouver police on a previously issued warrant for armed robbery of a city supermarket.

Before his capture, a man believed to have crossed the border with Olson was taken into custody after he walked to Blaine High School and said he wanted to surrender to police.

Being Held

He was also turned over to city police, and was held today for investigation.

Olson, 25, escaped from three guards April 8 while at Shaughnessy Hospital for treatment.

He escaped capture at a house in Vancouver’s East End by seconds Tuesday night, fleeing in a car just before city police moved in after first surrounding the area.

Police now know he slipped through a net drawn around the area and sent the night hiding under Queensborough Bridge, New Westminster.

Chief Patrol Inspector A.D. Brandon, of the border patrol, said Olson and his companion travelled to White Rock by taxi, then hiked across the border about a quarter mile east of Pacific Highway at 4:30 p.m.

A resident of the area reported suspicious persons and a search was started by border patrol.

The two were spotted by police minutes later.

Student Menaced

Brandon said they broke and ran and one man later walked to nearby Blaine High School and gave himself up shortly before 5 p.m.

Brandon said two high school students, aged 17 and  18, were managed by a man with a gun as they rode on a Honda in a wooded area.

The students took off in a hurry and the man went into the trees, Brandon said.

Police said Olson was not armed when captured.

Blaine city police chief Ken Dolan said he spotted the fleeing pair on A Street Blaine, a few moments earlier and pulled his cruiser alongside them.

Alone In Car

“I was alone in the car and could not leave it because the shotgun and tear gas in the trunk,” he said.

“I ordered them to halt through my loudspeaker, but one man took off into the field and other guy jumped into the bush at the side of the road.”

He said he saw the fugitive run by a football team practising on the high school grounds and make for the trees.

“I circled the area, locked my car and took off after him.  He threw off his coat during the chase but I was gaining on him.

“At this stage I did not know his identity so I did not use my shotgun.  I don’t shoot at people just like that,” Chief Dolan said.

He said that during the search of the woods he must have walked within 10-15 feet of Olson a dozen times without seeing him.

Inspector Brandon said that when it was realized the man in the woods was Olson, Surrey RCMP were asked for help.

He said when the RCMP were unable to send a tracking dog, because the one from Surrey is on a murder manhunt in the Okanagan, Vancouver city police were also brought in on the chase.

City police sent the two dogs

Brand said:

“He must have lain there (in the leaves) three hours with 50 people criss-crossing through there.  But the dog went straight to him.”

Brandon said the operation was an example of the “excellent co-operation” existing between the police forces on both sides of the border.

He said no proceedings for illegal crossing of the border will be taken against the two men “in view of the circumstances.“

NOTE: In 1981, Clifford Olson was arrested by the RCMP for the murder of 11 people between the ages of 9 and 18 years.  On January 1982, he pleaded guilty to 11 counts of murder and was given concurrent life sentences and was deemed a dangerous offender.

RCMP INSPECTION

Uniforms were cleaned and pressed and boots and brass were shining particularly brightly today when the RCMP Saskatoon subdivision headquarters personnel assembled at HMCS Unicorn for the semi-annual inspection.  The complete officer’s kit, including uniform, equipment, cars, and quarters, were examined by Inspector W.W. Peterson, officer commanding the subdivision.  He is shown left accompanied by Staff Sergeant F.W. O’Donnell subdivision non-commissioned officer, inspecting the ranks.