The Town of Oliver has sent a victim impact statement to Crown counsel in hopes that Ronald Teneycke is declared a dangerous offender.
Mayor Ron Hovanes said the man, who has been described in court as a violent sexual predator, has tormented the South Okanagan for many years.
“I strongly believe that should there ever be another release of this criminal, it would come with a public warning that Ronald Teneycke would be an even higher risk to re-offend and create even more victims,” Hovanes said.
In July of 2015, a warrant was put out for Teneycke after he failed to appear for weekend jail following his conviction for possessing explosives.
Upon hearing that Teneycke was on the loose in Oliver, residents feared for their safety, the mayor said.
Before being apprehended in a Cawston orchard, Teneycke robbed Eastside Grocery in Oliver and shot a local resident. The victim, Wayne Belleville, was shot in the back and left to die on a remote mountain road east of town. Belleville lost his spleen but recovered.
Hovanes said the armed robbery at the grocery store had lasting impacts on the female clerk, who was again victimized by Teneycke who sent her a hand-written letter from Kamloops Correctional Centre. (BC Corrections said this was an oversight and should never have occurred.)
After serving federal prison time for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in 1993, Teneycke was released in the Oliver community with a public warning that he would likely re-offend.
The mayor said the Town asked that he not be released in Oliver because of the risk/danger he posed to the community. He noted that many residents lived in fear and angst.
“He did not re-offend once, it was many times,” Hovanes said.
The mayor told Crown counsel that labeling Teneycke as a dangerous offender would go a long way in protecting the public.
The prolific offender was scheduled to appear in court on June 8 and is expected to be sentenced soon.
