3 CHARGED IN HOME INVASION BY FAKE POLICE

Three Vancouver men are now charged after a home invasion on Saltspring
Island by suspects claiming to be police officers.

The men may be linked to similar incidents in the Lower Mainland, the RCMP
says, and one is charged with sexual assault in connection with the
Saltspring incident.

A police search warrant says a resident of the Saltspring home was awakened
as his front door was forced open at around 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 23.

The resident told police two men entered screaming: "Police . . . search
warrant . . . get on the ground!" One of the two men was brandishing a hand
gun, the resident said, and they told him they were looking for his
marijuana-growing operation. The resident's 27-year-old girlfriend, who was
downstairs, later told police that she saw two men in the house wearing
toques and winter jackets with the word "POLICE" in yellow letters on the
back.

The suspects struck the man on the right side of his face, tied him and
covered him with blankets, police were told. Police say the intruders found
only eight marijuana plants in the man's basement and threatened to "turn
this into a homicide" if he didn't reveal the location of the remaining
marijuana.

The girlfriend, who was hiding downstairs, said she was found by the
intruders and brought upstairs. There, the assailants taped the woman's
arms and legs and threw a blanket over her head. Another man then led her
into a bedroom where, she said, she was sexually assaulted.

The suspects were arrested four hours after the home invasion as they
disembarked from the ferry at Crofton on Vancouver Island. One suspect was
found carrying a loaded semi-automatic handgun tucked into his pants.
Police searched the vehicle and located another pistol and jackets bearing
the word "POLICE."

RCMP are continuing to investigate possible links to other incidents in the
Lower Mainland.

"Several inquiries have been received from other police agencies about the
circumstances," said North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP Corporal Mike Wilton.

Corporal Rob Stutt of Surrey RCMP's major crimes unit said home invasions
where assailants dress up as police are fairly common. He's handled three
or four himself, he said.

"It's a lot more common than you would think," Stutt said.

The Saltspring Island resident told officers he suspected a former employee
who had recently returned to Vancouver of being involved in the home
invasion. The resident said the former employee had once told him how
friends of his would dress up as police and invade the homes of marijuana
grow operations. The day before his home was invaded, the resident said he
received a call from the former employee asking whether he could help trim
the marijuana plants, the search warrant indicated.

Jazz Lamer Slater, Kevin James Jones and Cecil Henry Jones are charged
jointly with 12 offences including break and enter, armed robbery, unlawful
confinement and possession of marijuana and weapons.

Cecil Jones faces additional counts of sexual assault and possession of a
Luger nine-millimetre handgun. All three remain in custody and will appear
again for a bail hearing in Victoria on Monday.