Saskatoon trial of man who stabbed partner to death now up to the judge
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CTV News
7 minutes ago
- CTV News
A teacher has been charged in the stabbing deaths of a couple in an Arkansas state park
The trail head to the Devil's Den trail at Devils Den State Park remains closed Monday, July 28, 2025, in West Fork, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods) LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Arkansas police have charged a 28-year-old schoolteacher in the stabbing deaths of a married couple who were killed when they were hiking with two of their children at Devil's Den State Park. State Police arrested Andrew James McGann on Wednesday at a barbershop in Springdale not far from the park, according to Col. Stacie Rhoads, commander of the department's criminal investigation division. McGann was charged with two counts of capital murder and is being held without bond Thursday in the Washington County jail. Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar said during a news conference Thursday that authorities are trying to determine a motive for the attack and have no reason to believe McGann knew the couple or their children. Police have repeatedly declined to discuss a possible motive for the killings. Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were found dead on a walking trail at Devil's Den on Saturday. Two of their three daughters who were with them at the time were not hurt and are being cared for by family members, authorities have said. They are are 7 and 9, officials said. Officials said the husband was stabbed first, then the mother ushered her children to safety before returning to help her husband. Springdale Public Schools said in a statement it had hired McGann as a teacher candidate for the upcoming year but that he had not yet had any contact with its families or students. Springdale is about 30 miles (50 kilometres) north of Devil's Den, where trails have remained closed since the killings on Saturday. A lawyer couldn't be located for McGann, and a message was left for a number listed for him. His first court appearance is scheduled for Friday. 'If you commit a violent, senseless act here in our state, our law enforcement will hunt you down and bring you to justice, because that's what the people of Arkansas frankly deserve,' Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters. Police flooded with tips In the days after the attack, police released a composite sketch and a photo of a person of interest that showed them only from behind. Authorities urged trailgoers who had been at the park on the same day to check their camera rolls for photos or video that could help point to a suspect. Rhoads said the public's help and video footage they received was instrumental in capturing McGann. Tips came in from as far away as Washington state, she said. Suspect taught in other states before Arkansas job McGann has active teaching licenses in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma, according to each respective government certification website. There are no infractions or suspensions noted on his public state licensures in any of those states. The Associated Press reached out to all three state education agencies on Thursday. McGann was placed on administrative leave in spring 2023 while he was employed at Donald Elementary School in Flower Mound, Texas, 'following concerns related to classroom management, professional judgment, and student favoritism,' according to a spokesperson for the Lewisville Independent School District. Sierra Marcum, whose son was in McGann's fourth grade class, said the teacher came across as standoffish, 'pretty cold,' and 'disinterested in his students.' Marcum said her son had come home from school upset and complaining about McGann, which she reported to the school's principal. McGann resigned from the Lewisville posting in May 2023, the district said in a statement. McGann was also a teacher at a small Oklahoma school district starting in the summer of 2024 until May this year. He resigned to take a job in another state, according to a statement from Sand Springs Public Schools, which is near Tulsa. The district said McGann passed all background checks. Law enforcement hasn't contacted Sand Springs Public Schools regarding the investigation, according to district spokesperson Lissa Chidester. McGann had not yet started his new job in Arkansas at Springdale Public Schools, said Jared Cleveland, the district superintendent. He said the district could not provide more information, citing the investigation. 'Our entire team extends our deepest condolences to the Brink family. Their children are especially in our thoughts and prayers,' Cleveland said. Victims had recently moved to Arkansas The Brinks had recently moved from South Dakota to the small city of Prairie Grove in northwest Arkansas. Their water was connected less than two weeks ago, Mayor David Faulk said. Clinton Brink had been scheduled to start working as a milk delivery driver on Monday in the Fayetteville area, according to Hiland Dairy, his employer. Cristen Brink had been licensed as a nurse in Montana and South Dakota before moving to Arkansas. The Brink family said the couple died 'heroes protecting their little girls.' 'Our entire state is grieving for the tragic loss and senseless and horrific crime that's taken place in this area,' Sanders said. Devil's Den is a 2,500-acre (1,000-hectare) state park near West Fork, about 140 miles (220 kilometres) northwest of Little Rock, the state capital. The park is known for its hiking trails and rock formations, and it is a short drive from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and Walmart's Bentonville headquarters. It has been a state park since the 1930s and its trails lead to the surrounding Ozark National Forest. By Andrew Demillo And Safiyah Riddle Riddle reported from Montgomery, Alabama. Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.
CTV News
7 minutes ago
- CTV News
Bird flu: Tensions build in B.C. village as court decision on ostrich cull nears
Hundreds of ostriches in B.C. that are staring down a government death sentence now have a powerful ally. Judy Trinh explains. Hundreds of ostriches in B.C. that are staring down a government death sentence now have a powerful ally. Judy Trinh explains. The frustration inside the Royal Canadian Legion hung as heavy as the suffocating summer heat. Dozens had come to give their side of a global controversy on whether to cull a flock of ostriches that survived a life-threatening virus. More than two dozen people, representing a tenth of the population of the village of Edgewood, B.C., had gathered after word spread that CTV News was visiting. For several weeks, a handful of residents had emailed to voice frustration about the 'unfair' coverage of Universal Ostrich Farm's (UOF) legal battle against a culling order issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency after avian flu was detected in its flock last December. The residents said their health and safety concerns have been ignored in the months since the outbreak, while media across the globe from the New York Times to the BBC had turned UOF's ostriches into a cause-célèbre. Yet the residents were unwilling to go on the record, citing fears of harassment and intimidation. UOF had gained high powered support from the Trump administration, an American billionaire and closer to home - the former leaders of the Freedom Convoy such as Pat King and Tamara Lich. Earlier in July, Lich helped organize a fundraising concert for UOF and even took to the stage in Edgewood to sing 'Keep on Rockin' in the Free World.' Canada bird flu news A flock of ostriches in B.C. is on death row after members of the heard contracted avian flu. (Jeff McDonald, CTV News) Testing vs. termination Universal Ostrich spokesperson Katie Pasitney says they're not just trying to get about 400 birds off death row but also standing up for other farmers by challenging a government policy that is inflexible and inhumane. While the CFIA argues the mass euthanization is the most effective way to control the outbreak and prevent the spread of a pathogenic virus that has killed birds, spread to animals and even humans. Pasitney wants to stave off the death sentences by getting the right to test and monitor the ostriches to show they are now healthy. As the legal challenge reached the Federal Court of Appeal in Ottawa, CTV News decided to visit Edgewood to get a better sense of the rising tensions in the village of 235 people. One resident suggested meeting at the legion but insisted she didn't want to be filmed. When CTV News arrived at the blue and white shingled building on Tuesday, 26 people were waiting inside. They were beef producers and retired plumbers, paramedics, bus drivers and barbers. Some were neighbors who lived next to the ostrich farm. The group decided they would all speak out together. Showing their strength in numbers as news cameras rolled. Canada bird flu: Ostrich cull This photo shows 26 Edgewood, B.C. residents who spoke out against the Universal Ostrich Farm's challenge of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's cull order. (Judy Trinh, CTV News) Speaking out in solidarity Lois Wood who baked cookies and squares for the group, raised her hand to speak. She's retired, owns horses and lives alone next to UOF. To get home, Wood has to drive down Langille road, the same rocky lane that goes by the ostrich farm and a cluster of tents and trailers that have popped up across from it. It's a camp of strangers, gathered to protest CFIA's cull order. Some have been in Edgewood for months. Wood says the strangers had previously set up a checkpoint at the turnoff to the road. Other residents said the protesters asked for names and took photos of license plates. 'Edgewood is not about violence,' said Wood, who added he's worried confrontation with protesters will lead to clashes. 'If CFIA comes – they want to do everything they can to stop them.' A few weeks ago, Wood watched as the protesters blocked access to the farm by parking their vehicles horizontally across the lane and cutting off tree branches to lay across the road when a rumour spread that inspectors were moving in. 'They've got nothing to do with this,' said Jim McFarlane. He and his wife Millie are beef farmers and angry that, despite being ordered to quarantine their property, UOF has allowed dozens of protesters on to their property. The couple are worried their cattle could be impacted as the legal fight drags beyond seven months. In Canada, h5N1 has been detected in wild animals like foxes, skunks and raccoons. Pet dogs and cats have also caught the virus. In the U.S., dairy cows have been infected. Even if their cattle are healthy, the McFarlanes say the perception of a lingering disease could impact their income. 'Our (cattle) prices could be knocked down because of the potential of avian flu in cattle, because it can happen,' said Millie. The couple live a ten-minute drive across the village from Universal Ostrich Farm, but worry about fallout. 'It's like living next to Chernobyl,' Millie said referring to the Ukrainian nuclear reactor explosion that released radioactive material into the air. CFIA support Across the room from the McFarlanes, retiree Crystal Michaud chimed in about supporting the government inspectors. 'CFIA is protecting Canadians and Canadian agriculture,' said Michaud. 'UOF is putting us on a slippery slope. They're setting up precedents by overturning Canada's regulations for local, national and international trade. They are putting other people at risk.' Chicken farms in the region have been ordered to tighten their biosecurity measures to guard against the spread of H5N1 virus. Some countries such as Mexico, Japan and Taiwan have banned poultry products from B.C. because of the presence of avian flu. On its website, CFIA states that as long 'as the ostrich farm remains a confirmed infected premises, the entire British Columbia poultry sector is not able to access certain export markets.' B.C. bird flu cases An ostrich looks on at a farm slated for a cull after members of the flock contracted avian flu. Ostrich research According to court documents, UOF stopped selling ostrich meat in 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it entered into an agreement with a Japanese scientist from Kyoto to research antibodies. The work involved injecting the ostriches with COVID-19 antigens to create antibodies in the birds, then extracting the proteins from the eggs. The ostriches are kept in open air pens. There are a few wooden structures on the property and a metal corral shelter with heavy plastic sheeting that was torn and coming off the frame. The Edgewood residents are skeptical UOF facilities are conducive to scientific research. More than a dozen people told CTV News they saw worrisome practices at UOF in the weeks before and shortly after an avian flu outbreak was declared. They described seeing eagles and ravens picking at ostrich carcasses. They shared video of purported ostrich bones littered in the fields. And one neighbor said the farm's owners buried dead ostriches on his property near the creek that runs across the village. 'Hearsay and false' claims After the meeting, CTV visited Universal Ostrich Farm to get a response to the concerns of Edgewood residents. A two-metre-high sign emblazoned with the words 'Stop the Murder of 399 Ostriches' leans against a rusted dump truck marked the entrance of the farm. Protesters playing the role of volunteer security guards led us to the brown house on the property to interview farm spokesperson Katie Pasitney. When confronted with the neighbours' accounts of rotting ostrich carcasses, Pasitney said it was 'hearsay and false,' and insisted the farm was well managed. 'If we really believed that these animals were going to put our whole community at risk, we would have done something about it. She said that complaint could be coming from a 'neighbour who was disgruntled.' To prevent the spread of disease, poultry producers are supposed to report dead birds. CFIA detected H5N1 at the farm last December after receiving an anonymous tip about dead ostriches. And in May, CFIA fined UOF co-owners Dave Bilinski and Karen Esperson $20,000 for failing to cooperate with anti-avian flu bio security measures and not adhering to quarantine orders. Pasitney also dismissed concerns about harassment and intimidation. 'Everybody who has come here to support this farm has been nothing but kind.' She said they've picked people up for rides, helped residents do yard work and supported the local store. Pasitney said UOF's legal challenge is about more than just saving the birds. It's also about countering government overreach 'It's for food security, for better ways … changing policy and fixing fractured and flawed systems and coming together.' But other Edgewater residents like retired bus driver, Jim McKee says he wants the government to protect him from what UOF is doing. 'Government overreach is such a overused cliché. If it isn't the government to regulate and protect – whose job is it?' Meanwhile the CIFA says its continuing with its plan to enforce the cull order. The Federal Court of Appeal is expected to release its decision any day now. Edgewood residents hope the matter will be resolved quickly and peacefully but are also bracing for a possible confrontation if there is a surge in protesters.
CBC
8 minutes ago
- CBC
Woman, 81, charged after hit and run kills e-scooter rider in North York: police
An 81-year-old woman has been arrested a day after a person riding an e-scooter was killed in a hit and run in North York, Toronto police say. Police responded to a call around 9 p.m. Wednesday about a hit and run in the Codsell Avenue and Goddard Street area, Toronto police said in a news release Thursday. When officers arrived, they found a female victim of unknown age who had been struck by a white Mazda, police said. The victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene, had been riding an electric kick scooter south on Goddard Street when she was struck, police said. An 81-year-old Toronto woman was arrested Thursday after police recovered the white Mazda allegedly involved in the Sheppard Avenue W. and Bathurst Street area, police said. She has been charged with leaving scene of an accident causing death and dangerous operation of a vehicle. The woman was scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing early Thursday afternoon, police said.
