Luskville woman acquitted of murder: After two days of deliberation, a jury acquitted Rita Graveline of second-degree murder Saturday. 

The 52-year-old Luskville woman was charged with second-degree murder for the shooting of her husband, Michael Graveline, 51, in August 1999.

The jury was initially 12 people, but the judge excused one woman when she learned of her father’s death.

Defence lawyer Marino Mendo used battered wife syndrome — a clinical term, not a formal legal defence — to defend his client, who suffered, according to friends and family, years of abuse from her husband of 31 years.

Local woman patrols Pontiac with police: It just seems like yesterday that she was strolling the halls of Pontiac High School. Now, she is patrolling the highways with the Sûreté du Québec. For 60 hours, anyhow.

Shawville’s Annie Lefebvre was spotted getting out of a SQ cruiser at the Shawville arena Saturday night as she was doing patrol with Const. Denis Meloche and Const. Erik Martin as part of her 60-hour apprenticeship.

In her second year of the Policier Technique program at the Hull CEGEP de l’Outaouais, Lefebvre needs the apprenticeship to go towards her academic credits.

Lefebvre, who was required to take an oath of secrecy to protect the integrity of the files, is evaluated after each shift based partially on the strengths of her observations and the questions she asks, Const. Meloche said.

Lefebvre said she is interested in police work for several reasons.

“I like the challenge and I want to help society and help people,” she said.

Though she is open to a posting anywhere in the province, she said she hopes to join the SQ rather than a metropolitan police squad.

“I wouldn’t mind (coming to the Pontiac MRC detachment of the SQ), but I’ll go anywhere there is a job opening,” she said.