Judge didn't have all the facts about B.C. father
Author: ctvbc.ca
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The finger pointing continues as details emerge about the months and weeks leading up to the deaths of three young children found murdered in their home in Merritt, B.C.

Meanwhile Allan Schoenborn, the father of the three slain children and the key suspect being sought by police, is still at large.

CTV News has learned that RCMP officers attended the home of the murdered children on three other occasions in the past six months due to concerns about their home lives.

But a justice of the peace who was dealing with Schoenborn in early April wasn't aware of that, nor the fact Schoenborn had violated a peace bond that was meant to keep his wife safe, when he ordered him released, said B.C.'s top provincial court judge.

"The material presented was thorough, but it does appear on examining the case after the fact that there was some relevant information that was not there," said Chief Judge Hugh Stansfield.

Ten-year-old Kaitlynne, eight-year-old Max, and five-year-old Cordon were found murdered in their mobile home in Merritt by their mother, Darcie Clarke. Clarke had gone out for a few minutes to run an errand.

Schoenborn had returned to the house only days before. The previous week he was arrested for uttering threats to a principal and a child at his daughters' school.

But Schoenborn was released over the phone on bail by a justice of the peace.

It's not clear whether providing the J.P. with more information would have kept Schoenborn behind bars.

"There is a common thread that runs through these types of incidents, and it's the inability or inability of certain agencies to share information," said Chief Coroner Terry Smith.

A picture is emerging of a troubled individual who often had run-ins with the police:

* Last May, Allan Schoenborn was charged with threatening to kill his wife, but the charge was stayed. A modified restraining order -- a peace bond -- was put in place.
* On February 26, Schoenborn pled guilty to violating the terms of the peace bond, and was fined $200.
* On April 3, he was charged with uttering threats to the principal and a child at his daughter's school and was subsequently released on bail.

But Stansfield said the RCMP failed to pass along pertinent information.

The J.P. didn't know that in August 2007, Schoenborn was charged with breaching the terms of his peace bond.

"There was most directly or significantly a direct question posed by the J.P. to the police officer when he asked if there was 'friction' between Schoenborn or his wife, and he answered, 'no,'" said Stansfield.

"He wasn't aware that in August 2007 [Schoenborn] was charged with breaching the term or two terms of that peace bond," he said.

B.C.'s Solicitor General John van Dongen said it's his view and that of the government that "there are troubling questions in this matter and the government wants to see those dealt with in an appropriate way."

Meanwhile, police and private security are patrolling the grounds of the school which the three children attended.

Diamond Vale Elementary School in Merritt, B.C. reopened its doors on Wednesday. The school has been closed since the bodies of the three children were found.

RCMP officers are maintaining a presence at the front door of the school and the rest of the doors will remain locked.

Shannon Ward, a Parent Advisory Committee member and parent at the school, said some parents are choosing to keep their kids at home.

"There's a lot of mixed feelings about it, confusion, some fear," she said. "Some parents are saying they are not going to send their kids to school."

The school is providing crisis support for children and parents.

Ward said although she did not know the Schoenborn family personally, she would see them on their way to school.

"My youngest daughter and her friends have survivor's guilt now, they don't want to play and be happy when (the victims) can't do that anymore," she said.

Police are asking anyone with any information to contact Merritt RCMP at 250-378-4264 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

With files from The Canadian Press and a report from CTV British Columbia's Julia Foy

An RCMP officer watches the grounds outside the Diamond Vale Elementary school in Merritt, B.C. on Wednesday, April 9, 2008. (Jonathan Hayward / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Cordon, left, and Max Schoenborn are seen in this undated image taken from television.

Allan Dwayne Schoenborn, the father of the three children who were found deceased, is being sought in connection with the triple homicide in Merritt, B.C. on Sunday, April 6, 2008. (RCMP)

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