The dangerous offender hearing for Ronald Arthur Teneycke began Tuesday at the Penticton courthouse.
Know to as a prolific offender, Teneycke has been in out and out jail since he was released from a 12-year jail sentence for the sexual assault of a South Okanagan teen in 1993. His most recent arrest involved a manhunt across the South Okanagan, after he shot Wayne Belleville in the back and stole his truck. It came to a dramatic conclusion in a Cawston orchard, Teneycke only stopping from evading the police after an RCMP officer fired eight rounds into his tire after a slow pursuit, with police ramming into his vehicle several times.
“Why don’t you guys (expletive) shoot me? Why don’t you kill me? You start something but don’t have the balls to finish,” is what Teneycke told RCMP officers after his arrest.
Teneycke had been on the run for a few weeks prior, as a warrant was issued for his arrest in early July 2015 after he failed to show up for his intermittent (weekends only) jail sentence. He had pleaded guilty to making or possessing explosives and possessing a weapon contrary to a court order.
Related: Dramatic conclusion in RCMP hunt for Teneycke
Since the application was made for the dangerous offender hearing, Teneycke has pleaded guilty to armed robbery, discharging a firearm with intent to would, committing a robbery with a restricted firearm and flight from a peace officer. During his time on the run in 2015, he also held up a convenience store in Oliver. Found in Teneycke’s backpack after his arrest in Cawston was Belleville’s wallet, a rifle, a revolver that was later deemed not functioning, a machete and a key to a set of handcuffs was recovered in a wristband he was wearing.
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A forensic psychiatrist from Kamloops took the stand Tuesday morning in Penticton to testify to his 2007 assessment of Ronald Teneycke. Dr. Ronald Chale assessed Teneycke in 2007 when he claimed to be having a psychotic break at a medical facility in Oliver. Chale said Teneycke believed he was having vivid hallucinations and appeared to suffer from paranoia and anxiety. However the psychiatrist believes there was no evidence of major mental illness and instead claims Teneycke suffers from a personality disorder brought on by substance abuse.
During two interviews in 2007 Chale says he found Teneycke open and almost overly respectful. Teneycke admitted to using street drugs and substance abuse problem stemming back to his childhood. When asked by the defence council if when under the influence Teneycke could appear to have psychotic symptoms the doctor replied yes — as Teneycke had a poly-substance dependancy and if using hallucinogenics could become careless and violent.
Chale believes Teneycke has a personality disorder, which he describes as a pattern of behaviour entrenched since adolescence and those with personality disorders present a lifetime risk of substance dependancy. After 13 years in incarceration and attending a First Nations spiritual program for substance abuse, the doctor claims Teneycke did not change. Instead he relapsed, started using street drugs and had little in the way of internal control.
The psychiatrist explained the Teneycke had social anxiety, would often become bored and then make the decision to do drugs. The use of drugs made Teneycke’s aggression and anxiety worse.
Back in 2007, Chale believed Teneycke was at a high risk to reoffend due to his lengthy criminal past and two sexual offences on record for which he refused to go to treatment.
The South Okanagan man blamed society for his issues and claimed he did not commit the sexual assault acts he was accused and found guilty of.
Ten years ago Teneycke told Chale he wanted to grow up, be a man and have relationships; however the doctor did not believe he was capable. At the time Chale found that even Teneycke was not under the influence of drugs he could become violent and pose a risk to commit sexual assault.
The hearing is scheduled to continue for two more days.
— With files from Jen Zielinski/Black Press
