Oland homicide evidence includes lint trap, bank records

Newly-released search warrant documents related to the Richard Oland homicide investigation show Saint John police seized a wide range of items as part of their investigation.

The items include Oland's financial records, the lint trap of the dryer of his son’s home, a forensic swab of a red drop on his daughter-in-law’s boat, a receipt from Kent Building Supplies, dated July 7, 2011 — the same day Oland’s body was discovered in his uptown office.

Seven of nine search warrants, along with several related documents, were made public Thursday.

CBC News and the Telegraph-Journal have been fighting to have the documents unsealed since December.

Search warrants are normally public documents.

The released documents relate to searches police conducted at the home of Oland’s only son, Dennis Oland, on July 14; a car owned by an unnamed person the same day; a sailboat co-owned by Dennis’ wife, on July 21;  the CIBC on King Street, where Oland "primarily" did his operational banking, and for CIBC Wood Gundy on Chipman Hill, where Dennis Oland worked as an investment advisor.

During the search at Dennis Oland’s home, at 58 Gondola Point Dr., police seized a total of 57 items.

Thirty-one of them have been blacked out, and another five partially blacked out.

But the released information suggests police started their search in the front entry closet, then worked their way through the large house.

A note in a purse, some brown work boots and legal papers were among the items seized from the closet.

CIBC and Telus statements were taken from the waste basket by the desk in the living room, according to the documents.

Four orange garbage bags and their contents were taken from the basement.

Several pieces of clothing were seized from the men’s closet in the master bedroom, while bank receipts and licences were taken from the top of the dresser, along with a receipt for Canadian Tire that was in the drawer.

From the car, police took 22 forensic swabs of various parts of the car.

They also seized business cards, a Scotiabank envelope addressed to someone whose name has been blacked out, three CIBC cheque books and a receipt for $100, as well as receipts from three businesses, dated Jun 25, June 27 and July 9.

The list of items taken from the sailboat Loki, which was docked at the Kennebeccasis Yacht Club on Millidge Avenue, in Saint John’s north end, includes a DNA swab of a red drop on the exterior of the left seat, swabs of the sink drain and a red stain at the back of the sink, and a GPS.

At CIBC, police obtained records, or photocopies from employees, who were ordered not to tell anyone else, including other employees.

Two other search warrants related to a "log book" and other documents could be released on Friday.

A lawyer representing CBC News and the Telegraph-Journal will also argue to have some of the redacted information released.