South Okanagan

Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

The consensus in Osoyoos on Monday was the editor of the local paper made a mistake when he wrote an editorial about being stopped by an RCMP officer, but has somewhat redeemed himself by issuing an apology.

Keith Lacey, the editor of the Osoyoos Times, published the scathing editorial on Feb. 8, following his detainment by Cpl. Ryan McLeod after leaving a pub on Feb. 3. In it he names the officer several times.

After the RCMP published a reaction to the editorial claiming there was a video showing what unfolded that night, Lacey penned an apology which appeared on the paper’s homepage on Sunday.

“Maybe there was some truth in it, but it seemed way overdone, and he should have left the officer’s name out of it,” said George Richard, as he started his day at an Osoyoos coffee shop . “It is decent that he apologized though.”

Lacey declined to comment on the editorial or the apology at the Osoyoos Times office on Monday morning.

Claims made by Lacey in the lengthy editorial are he was humiliated by having to comply with the officer’s request for a sobriety test. He goes on to say the officer abused his position of authority.

Supt. Ray Bernoties, officer in charge of B.C. RCMP communications, responded to the editorial by issuing a letter to the editor on Feb. 9, in which he stated there was a video of the incident taken from the police car that includes audio of the entire interaction between Lacey and the police officer.

In the letter he said he was willing to drive to Osoyoos at his own expense to show the people of the town the video.

In a seeming reaction to news of the video, Lacey issued Sunday’s apology in which he said he owed a sincere and heartfelt apology to Cpl. Ryan McLeod and fully realized the experienced officer was only doing his job.

Bernoties said the apology was the right thing to do and it was now up to the corporal to decide if he wants to accept it.

As far as the video, Bernoties stated he has not been given permission by Lacey to release it.

“It was never my intent to release it without his support,” he said. “I just felt if we aired it publicly the public could make their own decision on what happened.”

Photo: Contributed - Osoyoos Times

Osoyoos Times Editor, Keith Lacey

Despite the editor’s apology, Osoyoos resident Brian Kolybaba feels Lacey was in the wrong, because the officer was just doing his job.

“It seems to me he is just covering his tracks,” he said. “I would like to see the video to see what actually happened. It has sparked my curiosity.”

But Kimberly Tokaryk of Osoyoos feels the editor has now done the right thing.

“There are two sides to this story. As a journalist it’s his job to reveal injustices, but at the same time drinking and driving is serious and needs to be addressed,” she said. “I feel the apology was the appropriate thing to do.”

In an RCMP media release Monday afternoon Cpl. McLeod states he will not be commenting on the apology until the paper releases the video.

The ball is now in the court of the Osoyoos Times.
 

Here is a Google cache of the editorial.