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Fo ------ 4 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, November 23, 1999 ontractors pitch in 0 help family after Ire destroys home By Chris Hall Port Perry Star A Port Perry construction crew has pitched in to help a family who lost everything in a fire recently. Almost two months after Jim Sheehan and his family lost all their belongings when their Brooklin bunga- low went up in flames on Oct. 3, he is getting set to move into his new home on Simcoe St.,-just north of the Shirley Rd. The quick relocation has been made possible by Jan and Nick Rensink, of Rensink Construction. "They just dropped the other work they were doing and came right over and pretty much took control of the construc- tion," said Mr."Sheehan. "They managed the other trades and did everything within their power to help out." Mr. Sheehan said the Rensinks came on evenings and weekends to lend a hand, and brought in workers to speed up completion of the home, which Mr. Sheehan had been building. "We fell in love with the community and the land so we bought the property about two and a half years ago, and from there we decided to build a home there; it was our dream house," he said. "We were building it slowly over time; we'd go there on weekends... it was sort of a stress management process." But plans made by Mr. Sheehan and his wife Shelley were dashed on Oct. 3 when fire destroyed their home in Brooklin. "I left the house around 6:50 p.m. to take our two dogs to obedience school. I picked up my wife at the train station, and we stopped and got some toothpaste. When we got back at 8:40, everything was gone," he said. The fire was caused by an electrical short in a kitchen appliance, said Mr. Sheehan. With only the belongings they had with them, the Sheehans and their two children made a Whitby hotel home for a short while before renting a house in Bowmanville. Mr. Sheehan now believes he is about two weeks away from moving into his new home. He's hoping for an insurance settlement soon. . "We havent got a dime from (the insurance company) yet for the house, but once we settle up with them I'd like to do something for Jan and Nick," said Mr. Sheehan. "Once they heard about the fire they were on board full-time helping us out. All they want to do is help us... When they say theyll do something, it gets done." Jim Sheehan, seen here with the family dogs, will soon be moving into a new home with his wife and children, thanks to the help of a local construction firm. They lost their Brooklin home to fire in October. By Rik Davie Special to the Star Durham Regional Police are playing down accusations that several recent acts of violence at Port Perry and Uxbridge High Schools are related. Seven Port Perry students have not been attending classes since a Sept. 22 incident in which a 15-year-old student was allegedly encircled and then beaten by a group of youths. They also face assault charges in relation to the inci- dent. The persons charged are young offenders and cannot be identified. Last week, another violent incident occurred at Port Perry High School. On Tuesday (Nov. 16), police were called to the area of the high school after it was reported that several youths in ski masks swarmed a 15-year-old who suf- fered punches and kicks after he was forced to the ground by the group. Witnesses said that the arrival of a teacher from the school sent the assailants packing. Meanwhile an Uxbridge High School student was beaten in the hallway of that school on Oct. 29, and an 18-year- old Uxbridge man has been charged in the alleged attack. Sources close to the suspects in the September incident here say that Port Perry students now attending Uxbridge High School have been the targets of harassment by other youths for some time. One parent, who cannot be identified to protect the identity of his child, is hop- ping mad over the police and school board's handling of the incidents. "Of course (the incidents) are related," he said. "You have some of the same kids Incidents in Port Perry, Uxbridge related, they claim involved in this in every case." He said that his child was forced to attend another school, where he is now the victim of intimidation by other stu- dents. "He is stressed out according to our doctor, and he can't return to school," the father said. "What bothers me is that he has not been found guilty of anything, and may not be. Then what? He's lost a year of schooling, and has a reputation as trouble forever." The father is angry at the way the Durham District School Board has han- dled the matter. "No court has decided what happened here, but it seems as though the board has," he said. Durham District School Board spokesperson Mary Brown said that the students were not suspended from class- es by the board, but by the conditions of their release from custody, over which the board has no control. "Once the police are called in we take our lead from them," said Ms Brown. "As for suspensions for acts of violence in schools, the principals involved deal with those on a case-by-case basis, using board guidelines." But Ms Brown said that students who have been forced to attend other schools until their case makes its way to court are doing so because of clauses in their conditions of release. "If those conditions were to change, then we would have to look at the situa- tion again, but it really would be a mat- ter for an individual principal to deal with." Inspector Chuck Mercier of Port Perry's 26 Division said that his officers have no reason to investigate the two swarmings, or an attack on a Port Perry youth who attends school in Uxbridge, as being related. "We can only go on what the persons involved in these incidents tell us," said Insp. Mercier. "If no one gives state- ments to police to corroborate the fact that a connection exists, then we must go with the information that presents itself to us." Insp. Mercier is uncomfortable with use of the term swarming in the September incident. "It just doesn't give the appearance of what police know to be a swarming," he said. "We do not have a roving gang attacking people." But Insp. Mercier said that the inci- dent last week was "a swarming as we know that term to mean." He said that parental concern over the inability of students charged in these incidents to attend school has remedies in the court system. "We as police feel an obligation to the victims of crime," he said. "In this partic- ular case the conditions of release for the young people involved includes not com- ing into contact with the alleged victim. That would include not coming near the residence, place of work, or as in this case, usual places that the victim may attend. It so happens that is Port Perry High School." Insp. Mercier said that any person who agrees to the conditions of release is still free, later, to go before a Justice of the Peace in a bail court and ask for a variance. : One parent did. "It did us no good," the father told The Star. "Our lawyer told us the Crown just dismissed the request out of hand as not Parents angry over handling of school assaults being acceptable, so we dropped it. Now my son won't attend school at all." The father also said that he is begin- ning to fear for the safety of his child. "He has been threatened about this by an adult, and we have spoken to the police... I mean, how is he supposed to function with adults threatening to do things to him over this?" When asked if any legal action against either the school board or police could be expected, another parent said, "that is being looked at, definitely... I would not rule that out if this case ever gets through court." Insp. Mercier was pointed in his advice to parents of any young person being threatened "for any reason": "Threats to anyone, by any person, are in my mind a matter for us (police) to deal with," he said. "We take very seriously any threat to any person's well-being, and would investigate it vigorously. I would urge any parent who believes their child is being threatened to come forward so we can become involved." Slowly, the court system that is con- gested with young offender cases is attempting to do deal with these mat- ters. A pretrial date in December has been set for the seven charged in the first incident. The youth charged in the Uxbridge High School assault will appear in court later this week. But the latest, and perhaps most dis- turbing of all the violent incidents, remains unsolved. Police are still seeking suspects in the swarming last week, and persons who have information on any of these inci- dents can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 436-8477.