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 Police Dog Services handler.

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.

 Constable Shows Recovery Signs

1966 – Regina – RCMP Constable Donald G. Rowett (Reg.#19453), beaten with his own revolver Monday while searching for six fugitives from Regina correctional institute, showed signs Thursday of recovering from the coma in which he has remained since the assault.

Hospital spokesman said Const. Rowett, 30, came out of the coma for ‘very brief periods’ several times and spoke during the evening to his mother, at his bedside after flying here from Vancouver.

However, the lapses into consciousness were short-lived and hospital authorities said he was still in critical condition.

Const. Rowett and Const. D. R. Vincent, 27 (Reg.#20713), both of RCMP Kamsack, were assaulted when they stopped five men as they searched for the fugitives on the Key Indian Reserves, 140 miles northwest of here.

Const. Rowett was flown to Regina hospital immediately and underwent surgery Tuesday morning, Const. Vincent continued today in satisfactory condition in Kamsack hospital.

All the fugitives were recaptured by Thursday morning.

NOTE: Donald Vincent passed away on January 1, 2001 and Don Rowett passed away on January 29, 1990.

HEROIC GIRL TRIED TO SAVE MOUNTIE

November 23, 1966 – Edmonton – “Gordon always wanted to be a Mountie.”

Nat Pearson of Montney, B.C., made the comment Tuesday after his son RCMP Constable Gordon Pearson (Reg.#23018), 23, was shot and killed in an all-night restaurant on the western outskirts of Edmonton.

Charles W. Hill, 26, of Edmonton, was charged with the murder Tuesday and remanded without plea to Nov. 29.

Mr. Pearson said family members would leave Montney, 15 miles north of Fort St. John, B.C., Wednesday for Edmonton.

The shooting took place early Tuesday morning in a restaurant where Const. Pearson had gone to investigate a disturbance.

A woman in the cafe at the time said the constable had quelled the disturbance when a man walked in with a rifle and began shooting.

Shirley Parris, 21, was also in the cafe with a group of friends when the man entered.  He felled the constable and two other men who were sitting at the counter.

Adolphus Savard, 31 of Edmonton and Donald E.L. L’Hirondelle, 35, of Villeneuve, Alta., both were in critical condition in hospital.

Miss Parris helped Const. Pearson to his cruiser car and, although she had no driving licence, drive him 10 miles to hospital in a race that at times reached 100 miles an hour.

“I did it on impulse,” she said afterwoods.

Const. Pearson ws conscious during the drive, Miss Parris said, and kept telling her to ‘hurry up and don’t stop for anything.’

But he was dead on arrival.

Although unfamiliar with the car, Miss Parris managed to turn on the siren, and made repeated calls on the radio ‘for anyone who would listen.’

Two hours later, police surrounded an apartment block and arrested Hill, a student counsellor at the federal department of Indian affairs school in nearby St. Albert.  No shots were fired during the arrest.

Const. Pearson would have been married three months Saturday.

He was from a family of seven children.  He had five brothers but, said his father, Gordon was the only one who wanted to be a Mountie.

“He loved the service,” he said.

COURT TOLD YOUTH DRUNK AT TIME OF SHOOTING

North Battleford – A 19-year-old youth charged with discharging a firearm at two RCMP constables Dec. 24, was drunk at the time of the incident, his father testified in a District Court hearing Tuesday.

Floyd Harden, of Biggar, father of Edward Harden, said a fracas developed between him and his son at the senior Harden’s home.  Mr. Harden left the house and went for police.

Constables Lawrence Bennion (Reg.#21064) and Delvin Arndt (Reg.#20214) responded.  According to their testimony, when they got to the Harden home, they looked through a window and saw a youth sitting in an arm-chair drinking beer and holding a rifle.  When they opened the door and told the youth to come out, they heard a noise inside and ran for cover.

Two shots were fired.  One went through the living-room window and through the roof and a a window of the police care parked on the street.  Const. Arndt suffered a broken leg when he fell while avoiding the shots.

The officers called Saskatoon RCMP who sent several men, including a constable with a police dog.  At about 4:30 p.m., the police from Saskatoon entered the house and too the younger Harden into custody.

The trial continues.

Note: Lawrence Benin passed away on April 5, 2005 at High River Alberta.

MOUNTIE TAKES LAST WALK WITH PARTNER

September 3, 1992 – Red Deer Alta – RCMP Cpl. Warren Ganes (Reg.#29648) roamed a favorite hill heast of Red Deer known that he would soon bury his partner.

Arthritic pain and bone spurs have taken a toll on Judd, a seven-year-old German shepherd, who will be euthanized today by injection after completing his final shift.

“It’s going to be tough,” said Ganes, 40, who was teamed with Judd six years ago.

“He’s done everything from catching murderers and bank robbers to finding lost kids and famers’ wallets.”

Judd has earned a reputation as one of the RCMP’s top dogs of 94 serving across Canada, said Staff Sgt. Gil Radke of the RCMP’s police services section.

“If he were human he’d be a gold medallist in the decathlon.”

As the lead dog of Red Deer RCMP’s emergency response team, his aggressiveness has earned him praise and saved lives.

Once, a motorcycle-gang member fresh out of jail tried to kill Judd, who had caught him breaking into a house.

“He hit Judd for times on the head with a tire iron,” said Ganes.  But Judd made the arrest.

Specialized training and stressful duty age police dogs at twice the rate of other dogs.  Judd’s sickness, aggressive nature and devotion to one master make it impossible for him to be retired as a pet.

And so, in the hills overlooking Red Deer, Ganes and his partner Judd too one last walk in the shadow of the maintains.