Loren Reagan still a fugitive

Photo: Colin Dacre

The other man facing charges related to the Penticton hockey dorm saga remains a fugitive, with a new charge sworn against him this week for failing to appear in court.

Loren Reagan didn’t show up at the start of his fraud trial in September, telling Castanet News he was stuck in Kuwait dealing with passport issues.

Proclaiming that he “was no coward” and maintaining his innocence, Reagan repeatedly said he would return to the country to fight the charges.

There have been some unconfirmed reports that he since has returned to Canada, but Reagan has stopped replying to emails and Facebook messages. A new charge for failing to appear was sworn against him Tuesday, according to court documents.

Communications counsel with the BC Prosecution Services said Thursday that the Canada-wide warrant for his arrest is still active.

Reagan’s co-accused Michael Elphicke was found guilty of fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000 and unlawful management of a lottery scheme in October in connection to the business dealings of the Okanagan Elite Hockey Group.

The OEHA collected around $130,000 from a group of parents for an overseas hockey trip that never occurred; instead paying personal salaries, expenses and most notably, development fees for the failed hockey dorm project on the SOEC campus.

Justice Bruce Greyell found that Elphicke was complicit in enabling his spendthrift business partner to misuse the parents' money. He is yet to be sentenced.