POLICE DROP POT CHARGES AGAINST YOUNG SHAWNIGAN LAKE COUPLE

A young Shawnigan Lake couple that claimed they were blameless after
being arrested in a marijuana grow investigation won't have the chance
to convince a judge of their innocence - police dropped the charges.

But the couple said they soon might be asking another judge to award
them compensation for an arrest they said was false.

"We had to put out a lot of money for a lawyer it turns out we didn't
even need, it was so completely unnecessary," said Scott Walmsley.

Walmsley and his girlfriend, Felicia Clements, both 20, came forward
to claim their innocence after being arrested Jan. 15.

The pair was accused of being involved in a 600-plant marijuana
growing operation that was in a separate Millicent Avenue suite, below
the one in which Clements lived.

Shawnigan Mounties, assisted by North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP and
Victoria members of the RCMP's forensic-identification section, raided
the lower suite of the home and found a grow op, a hydro diversion and
associated growing equipment.

The couple went to the Shawnigan detachment Tuesday, where they were
fingerprinted.

"About an hour later we got a call from police to go back to the
detachment and the officer said we wouldn't have to go to court,"
Walmsley said.

"I asked about the fingerprints and was told they were irrelevant
because we were no longer suspects in the case."

Police said they didn't believe the case would stand up in
court.

"We reviewed the case to see if there was a substantial likelihood of
a conviction, just like every charge has to be reviewed," said
Shawnigan Lake RCMP Cpl. Dave Mackenzie.

"Upon reviewing that and all the circumstances that were attached to
it, it was my opinion there was not a substantial likelihood of
conviction if we did forward it to the Crown (prosecutor)."

Walmsley, who said he's never had a brush with the law, said the
experience was less than pleasant.

"People who knew me know I wouldn't be involved in something like
that, but I was worried about people who didn't know me or hadn't seen
me for a while and what they would think," he said.

Walmsley said he has a meeting with his lawyer next week to get an
idea of what will happen next.