Travis Allen Bolenback, 35
Volunteer Oliver Firefighter ( paid part-time staff : Town of Oliver )
Employment terminated
See previous story that outlines: a Criminal Code of Canada charge and what the court decided October 10th.
Here is what is known:
1. Letter read at meeting of Oliver Volunteer Fire Department – membership gathering – Thursday October 18th
2. Content of letter – notice of termination from Chief based on a lack of attendance at fire practices during his leave of absence.
3. LOA granted after a criminal charge laid in BC provincial court. ( See story published prior to this story )
4. No mention in letter of any reference to proceedings in provincial court.
5. Dealt with as an “attendance at practice” matter.
ODN heard that the information in the letter was posted on Facebook within 1 half hour of its distribution to Bolenback an OVFD members on Thursday.
Oliver Daily News, in doing its due diligence, contacted both the Oliver Fire Department Chief, Bob Graham and Town of Oliver’s CAO Cathy Cowan on Monday.
Response: This is a personnel matter and such matters treated only in-camera.
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An Oliver volunteer firefighter avoided a criminal trial October 10th by entering a peace bond related to a May 14, 2017 incident.
Travis Allen Bolenback, 35, had a single count of unlawfully being in the dwelling dropped by the Crown in exchange for a 12-month peace bond which will see Bolenback avoid contact with his neighbour, the complainant in the case.
“Do you acknowledge that your actions caused [complainant] reason to be fearful for her safety or that of her property?”
Judge Michelle Daneliuk asked.
“Yes,” Bolenback replied.
A peace bond does not equate to a guilty plea, but is used in cases where a defendant is deemed likely to commit to a criminal offence, “but there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an offence has actually been committed,” according to the Department of Justice.
The agreement means Bolenback will avoid a criminal conviction, which will open the door for him to start serving with the Oliver volunteer fire department once again. “It’s good for all parties,” defence lawyer Jim Pennington said. Bolenback has been on limited duty with the fire department pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings. If convicted, he would have been dismissed.
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