BURST
A registered sex offender is back behind bars after a month-long investigation by Vancouver police.
James Hurlbut, 52, who was wanted Canada-wide for sexual interference and an indecent act, was arrested in the Downtown Eastside last Friday.
Hurlbut has been a convicted sex offender since 2003, and was required to register any change of address. In April, it became apparent he had moved out of his last known residence and had been unaccounted for since December.
The VPD “obtained a number of judicial authorizations and used other advanced investigative techniques to locate Hurlbut,” said Sgt. Steve Addison in a statement on Tuesday.
Arrest made after shots ring out in Fort St. John
Police in Fort St. John were called to three incidents involving guns and shots being fired over the weekend, all apparently linked to the local drug trade.
Shortly after midnight on Sunday, Fort St. John RCMP responded to a home invasion involving a gun in the area of 96th Street and 97th Avenue. Investigators were able to identify a suspect but no arrests were made.
About an hour later, reports of shots being fired came in from the area of 92nd Street and 113th Avenue.
Then, at around 6 p.m. the same day, Mounties were called to a home on 269th Road in the area of 240th Road.
Police secured and searched all three crime scenes, canvassed the neighbourhoods and interviewed witnesses.
Searches were done to gather evidence at the residence on 269th Road that linked it to the first shooting. On Monday, Kelly Shular, who is associated with the 269th Road address, was arrested.
Shular has been charged with break-and-enter, use of a firearm in the commission of an offence, possession of a firearm contrary to an order, careless use of a firearm, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
Sgt. Ian Rissanen, commander of the plainclothes unit at the Fort St. John RCMP detachment, said it was a busy day for his officers and called their response “fantastic.”
He said “all of the shooting events of the weekend are believed to be related to the Fort St. John drug trade” and said the RCMP will continue to target the illicit drug trade to ensure public safety.
Shular is being held in jail until a court appearance on June 4.
Anyone with information about the weekend violence is asked to call Fort St. John RCMP at 250-787-8100.