British Columbia

4 men admit to paint bucket attack on Kelowna homeless couple

Four Kelowna men have admitted to soaking a homeless couple with buckets of paint in an unprovoked attack on a bitterly cold night last November 21.
Surveillance video released last November captured three men carrying two large buckets of paint. ((CBC))

Four Kelowna men have admitted to soaking a homeless couple with buckets of paint in an unprovoked attack on a bitterly cold night last Nov. 21.

Surveillance video footage, information from the public, and a lead from a vigilant off-duty police officer who spotted the suspect's truck, all helped investigators identify four adult males who later admitted to the incident, RCMP said Tuesday.

The videotape released by police last November showed the males sneaking up on the 43-year-old unemployed fruitpickers as they slept in the corner of an alley behind a strip mall, the place where they often spent their nights.

The men admitted that they dumped several buckets of white paint on the sleeping victims and drove off.

According to the wishes of the two victims, Carolyn Brown and husband Steven Koepke, the cases of three of the four males were diverted toward alternative measures before going to trial. ((CBC))

According to the wishes of the two victims, Carolyn Brown and husband Steven Koepke, the cases of three of the four males were diverted toward alternative measures before going to trial. 

Under an agreement reached by all involved, the men were not charged, and they agreed to do 24 hours of community work and to write an apology letter and pay restitution to the victims.

Kelowna RCMP said they did not announce the case had been cracked until after the men completed their community service, in order to ensure the work was done away from any media glare.

Constable Julie Rattee said they wanted the men to get out of their service "what they were supposed to get out of it."

No details about what role the fourth suspect played in the attack, and none of the names of the attackers, were released by the RCMP.