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Ten years have gone by since 50 eagles were found dead in Vancouver,and while the investigation concluded with more than 100 charges against 11 First Nations men, the Crown has now chosen to drop the charges against Gary Abbott and Ralph Leon in mid-September. They were the last of the men expecting to have their day in court. “The lead investigator was senior conservation officer Rick Grindrod,” reads a report by Global News. “For years, defence argued the charges should have been dropped because Grindrod, the main witness, was convicted for fraud in 2010 while the eagle investigation was underway. Grindrod was eventually fired from the BC Conservation Officer Service.” Abbott said he was glad, in a way, that the charges are behind him, but hoped to have a judgement to clear his name. “They knew that they were being called upon to explain all of these misgivings in their investigation and everything, and that’s why they said they’re staying the charges,” Abbott told Global News. “There is defamation of character without question, so I would expect compensation in that sense, and also a public apology from the conservation service and possibly the attorney general as well.” He is also asking for the return of all regalia confiscated.
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