Miller still behind bars
A Kamloops judge wants to have the story of a controversial Thompson Rivers University student looked into a little bit deeper before he decides whether to release him on bail.
Adrian Miller appeared in Kamloops provincial court yesterday afternoon (Feb. 27) and had his matters adjourned until today.
He was also in court on on Friday, Feb. 24, for a bail hearing, but no decision was made then either.
An arrest warrant was issued last week for the 26-year-old, who was recently elected to TRU’s board of governors and senate.
The university’s new board was sworn in at a ceremony last Friday, which Miller missed due to the fact he’s behind bars.
TRU’s board of governors met behind closed doors prior to the ceremony and decided to delay Miller’s swearing-in until a decision can be made regarding his criminal charges and issues on campus.
Earlier this month, the Crown laid five charges against Miller, alleging he stole and then pawned jewelry from the landlords of the basement suite in which he had been living.
They live upstairs in the residence.
Miller has pleaded not guilty, but a judge ordered he stay away from the Pineview Valley home until the charges are addressed.
In court last week, Crown prosecutor Catriona Elliott said Miller had been sleeping in computer labs on TRU’s campus after he was banned from the Pineview Valley home.
She also said he provided his probation officer with a fake McGill Road address, putting him in violation of his release conditions.
Elliot said Miller’s probation officer describes him as “deceptive and evasive.”
“He said, ‘He’d lie and say that black is white’,” she told the court.
“He thinks Mr. Miller has some psychiatric problems.
“Given this persistent pattern of resistance and being deceptive and non-co-operative with the probation officer, to release him would lead to more breaches and more offending.”
Defence lawyer Sheldon Tate said Miller made a “simple
mistake” when he gave the
probation officer the wrong address, providing one that was just one digit off from the actual address.
Miller told the court he was “couch-surfing” while looking for a more permanent place to live.
He admitted to sleeping in TRU computer labs, but said he was just napping.
Kamloops provincial court Judge Stephen Harrison reserved his decision to give lawyers time to contact the people Miller with whom Miller claims he has been staying.
It’s expected a decision on bail will be made today (Feb. 28).
Board of governors chair Fiona Chan said Miller is not technically a member of the board yet, because his swearing in has been put off.
“We want the safety and security of students, faculty and staff to be our priority,” she said.
When asked how that relates to Miller’s position on TRU’s board, she said: “The top priority is the safety and security of students, faculty and staff.”
Miller also has an ongoing lawsuit against TRU, in which he claims the university was negligent in its dealings with him as a student.
Beefed-up security on campus
Parts of TRU’s campus were under what the institution called a lockdown yesterday, pending Miller’s potential release from custody.
“Yes, we’re under lockdown,” university spokeswoman Diana Skoglund told KTW, stressing it was not as serious a scene as it might sound.
“All it means is that to get into [certain parts of campus buildings] you would need a key to be let into a hallway.”
Skoglund said the lockdown covered parts of the Clocktower building and Old Main.
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