The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor A young man has been charged with murder after police say he fatally injured his snowmobiling partner on a trip between Pelican Narrows and a camp outside Creighton. Thurston Jack Thomas, 24, of Pelican Narrows is charged with second-degree murder in the death of John James Ballantyne, 39, also of Pelican Narrows. Ballantyne was taken to the Flin Flon General Hospital the evening of Saturday, Feb. 23 with serious injuries. It was reported to both the hospital and police that he had been in a snowmobile accident. Ballantyne later died at the hospital as a result of his injuries. Triggered investigation As is the case with all sudden deaths, an RCMP investigation was triggered. It involved Mounties from Creighton and Pelican Narrows as well as the RCMP Major Crimes Unit North, the forensic identification section from The Pas and the Manitoba Chief Medical Examiner's office. They collectively determined that Ballantyne was the victim of a homicide, not an accident. Cpl. Rob King, a Saskatchewan media spokesperson for the RCMP, said Ballantyne's injuries did not involve a snowmobile. He said the men were traveling on a snowmobile and toboggan from Pelican Narrows to a remote, non-commercial hunting and fishing camp 30 kilometres west of Creighton. Cpl. King could not identify the specific location between Pelican Narrows and the camp where Ballantyne's injuries were allegedly inflicted. He said he believed Thomas and Ballantyne were the only people on the trip. They were known to each other. Thomas was scheduled to make an appearance at La Ronge Provincial Court this past Friday. If convicted, he could face life in prison without parole for up to 25 years.
