'KILLER WEED' HAD ROLE IN FATALITIES?

Is the world-renowned "B.C. Bud" -- a highly potent marijuana -- implicated
in the tragic road deaths of two teenaged boys last spring? Police aren't
disclosing exactly which substance is involved in the charges of "impaired
driving causing death" laid last week against the 17-year-old driver of a
car which slammed into the ditch in the 6200-block of 264 Street, late in
the night of April 4.

However, Cpl. Dale Carr told The Star, Tuesday, that it was "a substance
other than alcohol. I can't tell you which substance, but we feel we have a
good case."

According to the law, impaired driving charges can mean the use of alcohol
or any other mind-altering substance.

Carr told The Star that it was the "first time a reporter asked this
question" and that he had to check with his superiors before he could
answer it, as it may have "been a trump card in court." He called back
within minutes to confirm that the charges do not relate to alcohol use.

The driver, who was 16 at the time of the crash, cannot be named under the
requirements of the Young Offenders Act. He's been charged with two counts
of dangerous driving causing death and two counts of impaired driving
causing death. He will appear in Surrey Provincial Court on Nov. 27 at 9:30
a.m.

The charges were approved by Regional Crown Counsel last week, following a
lengthy investigation into the single-vehicle crash of a 5-litre Mustang
carrying four teenaged boys. Two passengers were killed in the crash and
another was seriously injured, and the driver was also hurt.

Emergency response crews had to use the jaws of life to extricate the
trapped youths in the back seat, while the front seat passenger was hurled
through the windshield and landed several metres ahead of the crashed car.
The two rear seat passengers were killed; Simon Featherston and Dayton
Unger, both 16.

Witnesses told The Star that there was evidence of marijuana inside the
vehicle.

There were also allegations that the car was racing another vehicle,
however, Sgt. Wayne Treleaven, head of Langley RCMP traffic section, said
last May that, "At the time, and to this point, we have not been able to
establish that he (the driver) was in fact racing with another vehicle and
that's the criteria for us to take away his licence."

Charges were also approved against the teenaged driver of a car involved in
a fatal collision on Nov. 3, 2001, at 2037 - 224 Street. The 18-year-old
was a young offender at the time and cannot be named. He's charged with two
counts of dangerous driving causing death and one count of dangerous
driving causing bodily harm, and he also appears in court on Nov. 27.

Two Langley youths, Emile Schon, 16, and Kyle Vanderkooi, 16, were killed
in this collision.