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CUT BRAKELINES ~ ATTEMPTED MURDER?? During the day of one of the hearings (July 7, 1997), Eugene and Gabriella were getting back into their car, which was parked in a parkade near the courthouse, when Gabriella noticed fluid coming from under the car. They took the vehicle to the nearest service station, noticing on the way that the brakes were not functioning properly. When the car was inspected by the mechanic, he found the brake lines had been cut. This is a copy of the police report done the next day. |
WITNESS STATEMENT
Date: 97 - 07- 08
Time: 10:45 hrs.
Location: Invermere RCMP
STATEMENT OF: Eugene Jeno Pentz DOB: 47 - 06 - 08
ADDRESS: Box 2524, Invermere, BC PHONE: 342-6866
YOU ARE BEING INTERVIEWED IN CONNECTION WITH The alleged tampering with the brake lines of your vehicle
Signed: Eugene PENTZ
Witnessed: S. J. ROBERTSON
Q: Mr. PENTZ, please state the circumstances leading up to the incident yesterday.
A: We left Invermere on Sunday evening, the 6th of July and stayed with a friend in Canmore. Her name is Inez PAYTO. I don't know the address. We left Canmore just before 8 a.m. Monday morning and drove straight to the court house parking lot on 6th Ave., and 3rd St. S. W. We went down Sarcee Trail turned off on 9th Ave. Then onto 5th St. to downtown.
Q: Why were you going to court?
A: We were filing some documents for a hearing that was to take place at 2:00 p.m. over access to our grand children that Andrew and Carol TREICH have custody of.
Q: Where did you park in the parking lot?
A: On the second level. I just turned right away into the first space on the right on the second level.
Q: Was there anyone on the parking level when you got out of your car?
A: Cars were coming and going but nobody standing around. Nobody I recognized.
Q: Did you meet or talk to anyone enroute from your parking stall to the Court room?
A: No, we walked straight to the Court Clerk to file the papers. Then we walked straight back to our car.
Q: Did you park your car, front in?
A: Yes.
Q: Did you see anything unusual about your car?
A: Yes, there was anti-freeze all over the floor even some on the rail in front of the car. I looked under the car a little bit but couldn't see anything. I thought I would drive straight to a service station to see what was the matter. So we drove to Fountain Tire at 923 Edmonton Trail.
Q: What happened at the service station?
A: The guy said to pull in and I almost couldn't stop. When they put the car on the hoist they found the brake cables fro the front brakes had been cut.
Q: What did you do next?
A: I phoned our lawyer, Joe MARKEY because we had an appointment with him at 11:20 a.m. and we were going to be late.
Q: What conversation did you have with the lawyer?
A: I just left a message with his secretary saying I couldn't make it. I told her I had some car problems.
Q: Did you know at that time that your brake lines had been cut?
A: Yes.
Q: What did you do next?
A: We got the car repaired and arrived at the Court house at 1:15 p.m. We went straight to court from the service station.
Q: What did you do while you were waiting for your car?
A: We had lunch at a Subway a block away.
Q: What happened in Court?
A: We represented ourselves so we sat up front. The lawyer MARKEY, we never got to see, so he wasn't prepared. The TREICHS and their parents were in the gallery.
Q: What was the result of the hearing?
A: We don't know yet. The judge said she will release it in a week or so.
Q: Do you have any opinion about how the hearing went.
A: Well, it was pretty much the way the whole things been going. We're not going to get what we want.
Q: Did you have any conversation with anyone after the hearing?
A: Yes, to Andy MARSHALL of the Calgary Herald just about the hearing. There were four or five people there who support us. Other grandparents who can't see their grandchildren. People we have met. We didn't speak to the TREICH's
Q: Why do you feel someone would cut your brake lines?
A: This is too big. I think Carol TREICH's father is something to do with this, he has been in everything. There is a trust fund, up to 3 million dollars from insurance payments. Carol TREICH's boyfriend is from Peru and goes back and forward. I don't know if that means anything. There's lots of money at stake.
Q: There will be suspicions that you cut your own brake lines. Are you willing to submit to a polygraph test?
A: Absolutely.
Q: Is this statement true and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief?
A: Yes it is.
Witnessed: S. J. Robertson Signed: Eugene Pentz
1130 hrs.