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The Fredericton Police Force urged motorists to slow down and take care on city streets Friday afternoon, noting road conditions have deteriorated over the course of the day.

The police force issued an alert on social media just after 3 p.m. Friday warning people to be careful when driving.

“Please use caution while travelling as road conditions are becoming slippery,” the post stated.

While Environment and Climate Change Canada’s weather service doesn’t have any weather warnings in effect for the area, it’s calling for light snow to continue in Fredericton tonight, ending late in the evening.

It’s calling for evening snowfall to amount to two to four centimetres, with a nighttime low of -8 C, and a wind chill approaching -13 C.

The federal weather service’s forecast for Saturday is sunny with no snow, and a daytime high of 0 C but a wind chill of -13 C in the morning.

The Fredericton Independent can be reached at [email protected].

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Dozens of vulnerable children from abusive and neglectful homes find themselves in a legal void thanks to an error in legislation adopted by the Higgs government last December.

Less than three weeks after a homeless Saint John man lost his life in a tent fire, another has lost his left leg below the knee and half of his right foot to severe frostbite.

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“I was living in a reality that just didn’t exist,” a Fredericton drug addict told a court Thursday to explain a long string of crimes, most of which he said he doesn’t even remember committing.

Garnett Karl Vroom, 39, of Oak Avenue, appeared in Fredericton provincial court by video conference from jail Thursday for a sentencing hearing for more than 30 offences in all, spanning from December 2021 to May 2023.

Crown prosecutor Rodney Jordan said the most serious of those crimes arose May 18, 2023, when Cindy Newman, the owner of a stolen Volkswagen Jetta, called police when she tracked down her car.

Newman had reported the vehicle stolen earlier that morning, court heard, but then she got information about it being sighted on Fredericton’s north side.

She called police to advise she’d found it in a parking lot on Irvine Street and had blocked the Jetta in, urging officers to arrive quickly.

Vroom was at the wheel of the stolen car, the prosecutor said, and he was accompanied by his partner, Sara Wood.

But before police arrived, he said, Vroom drove up onto the lawn of the property and onto the street to get around Newman. She followed, court heard, but Vroom drove fast and lost her.

Lucas Thebeau and Nicole Peterson, who were helping Newman look for the car, soon spotted the stolen Jetta and confronted Vroom, Jordan said, but Vroom yelled at them to leave him alone and pulled a sawed-off firearm from inside the car and pointed it at them.

They backed off and he took off again, court heard, and the couple quickly relayed what had happened to police, who were still searching for the stolen car and the suspect.

“They both appeared to be shaken by this incident,” the prosecutor said.

Given the new information about the firearm, he said, police stepped up efforts to locate and detain Vroom.

The Jetta was spotted again, headed outside the city limit, Jordan said, and the RCMP was brought in as well. A canine unit joined the search, he said, as was an RCMP helicopter.

The chase outside the city, in the area of Royal Road, continued, court heard, with the Jetta reaching speeds as high as 200 kilometres per hour.

‘You’re not gonna shoot me’

Traffic was limited in the rural area, Jordan said, but Vroom headed back toward Fredericton, and there were more cars and people at risk.

Vroom almost hit someone and nearly crashed in a ditch, he said, as he continued his dangerous and desperate flight from authorities.

The Jetta eventually came to a stop, the prosecutor said, and officers, with sidearms drawn, approached Vroom, who had emerged from the car.

Vroom looked at an officer who had his firearm pointed at the suspect, court heard, and he said, “You’re not gonna shoot me.”

That’s when the offender fled on foot, Jordan said, but he did so over dangerous terrain with a lot of fallen dead trees. Consequently, he said, the officer broke off the foot chase, deciding it was too dangerous.

Fortunately, Vroom was spotted shortly thereafter in a nearby field and was arrested, court heard.

When police searched the Jetta, they found numerous firearms as well as stolen property taken in a number of break-ins around the city.

There was a sawed-off rifle in the car itself, and five other firearms - rifles, shotguns and a handgun - in the trunk, the prosecutor said, noting one of the rifles had a serial number that had been defaced.

Among the stolen property found in the Jetta, he said, were four chequebooks, a Go-Pro camera, a digital camera, two cancelled passports and $26 in U.S. currency.

All told, police found almost $7,500 worth of stolen items in the car, court heard.

Vroom also admitted to those break-ins.

Grandmother bilked for thousands

The discovery of stolen chequebooks in the car didn’t represent the first such offence Vroom had committed.

Court also heard that in 2022, Vroom twice stayed with his grandmother, who was trying to help him out, and both times, he stole from her.

Jordan said Dianne Stilwell called the Fredericton Police Force in February 2022 to report that her grandson, Vroom, had defrauded her.

He’d been staying with her the month before, the prosecutor said, and she told police she’d let Vroom do so because suffered from a serious drug addiction.

She discovered that her chequebook had been stolen and 23 cheques had been cashed on her account for a total of $5,280, Jordan said, all made out to Vroom or people with whom he was associated.

Stilwell called police again in late June 2022, he said, advising the same thing had happened again. Vroom stayed with her again from May to July of that year, court heard.

She discovered $13,000 had been withdrawn on her Visa credit card, the prosecutor said, and another $5,000 in stolen cheques had been cashed fraudulently again.

The victim wasn’t out the entire amount this time around, though.

“She got reimbursed for a lot of the loss,” Jordan said.

Newcomers victimized as well

The prosecutor noted Vroom also had a hand in a scam in which a car that was reported as stolen was sold to buyers who ultimately learned the vehicle had exchanged hands illegally.

In October 2022, he said, Joseph Fay reported his 2016 Toyota Corolla had been stolen. The car and the keys went missing when he was doing drugs at a party, he’d told police.

The city police investigation uncovered the fact that the car somehow changed hands several times, court heard, with the title being transferred despite it being stolen.

Ultimately, police tracked down the people who bought the car, Jordan said, and as they were newcomers to the area from the Middle East, an interpreter had to be brought to communicate with them.

They told officers they’d bought the car for $3,000 from an unknown male “who was selling it for a friend,” the prosecutor said.

Because the car was sold illegally, court heard, the newcomer family was out more than $3,000, as they’d also paid to have the car professionally cleaned.

They now report losing trust in people.

While Vroom admitted to scamming the victims, he said it was never stolen.

“Fay gave us the car. I didn’t steal it from him,” the offender said Thursday, noting Fay handed over the car to settle a drug debt.

“I was under the impression he was allowed to sell it.”

Judge Mélanie Poirier LeBlanc said she couldn’t accept Vroom’s guilty plea to taking the car without consent, given when he’d said, and that would necessitate a trial on that aspect of the case.

But Jordan decided to withdraw that count, noting it wouldn’t alter the overall sentence he and defence lawyer Wanda Severns were jointly recommending. That allowed the sentencing hearing to proceed.

Court also heard Vroom shoplifted at the northside Canadian Tire store and assaulted a staff member by shoving them out of the way as he fled the business, got busted with other stolen cars with stolen licence plates on them and fled repeatedly from police when confronted.

Vroom was also being sentenced Thursday for numerous related breaches of probation and violations of release conditions.

Court heard he’s been in custody since May 2023.

Jordan filed Vroom’s prior criminal history with the court, noting it was significant and that there were numerous similar offences on it.

He and Severns suggested an overall prison term of 10 years, reduced to account for the time he’s already served on remand.

‘Garnett does have a huge heart’

Poirier Leblanc also heard from Vroom’s family. 

“I just want to apologize on behalf of the family,” said the offender’s brother, Forest Shaw.

He noted that Vroom’s insistence that women who were with him when he was arrested on numerous occasions knew nothing of his crimes shows that deep down, he’s a loyal person.

Shaw also explained that his brother was in a particular dark place during the period in question, as their mother had died recently.

“She took her own life,” he said, noting Vroom didn’t handle it well at all.

“He’d been under unimaginable amounts of stress over the past three years,” said sister Janine Brooks.

She pointed out that in addition to his mother’s suicide, Vroom lost his grandfather, with whom he’d been quite close, and his grandmother has developed Alzheimer’s.

“Garnett does have a huge heart,” Brooks said, insisting he’s a good person.

Shaw urged the court to arrange for rehab, noting that addiction drives his brother’s behaviour.

“He doesn’t know what else to do other than this stuff,” he said.

Brooks said the family has tried repeatedly to get Vroom help for his mental-health and addiction issues, but it’s just not available.

Severns said her client is essentially institutionalized at this point and has the mentality of a teenager.

“I need the court to understand that I take responsibility for the things I’ve done,” a tearful Vroom told the judge.

“I snapped after my mom committed suicide.”

He said he doesn’t remember most of these crimes.

“I was in such bad shape,” he said. “I was living in a reality that just didn’t exist.”

Vroom said his actions flowed from his despair and he thinks about the harm he’s done every day.

Poirier LeBlanc accepted the joint recommendation, imposing the 10-year sentence.

She noted, though, that Vroom had already served 269 days in custody, which translated into the equivalent of 404 days after the customary 1½-to-one remand credit formula is applied. As such, the prison term was to be reduced by that much, the judge said, making his sentence going forward eight years, 10 months and 22 days.

Poirier LeBlanc also ordered the collection of a DNA sample for inclusion in a criminal database, a prohibition against possessing firearms and other weapons for life, a two-year driving ban following the completion of Vroom’s sentence and forfeiture of the items seized from him during his many arrests.

In closing Thursday, the judge emphasized the gravity of Vroom’s crimes, especially those committed May 18. 

“You put your life in harm’s way that day… as well as anybody on the road that day,” she said.

Poirier LeBlanc accepted that his remorse is genuine as well as his desire to deal with his many problems.

She said the federal-prison system offers extensive programming and counselling, but ultimately, it’s up to Vroom to avail himself of them.

“That rests with you, sir,” the judge said. Nobody can make you do that.”

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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NIMBYism or genuine concern? The City of Fredericton is in a rush to build housing, but big developments aren't always welcome in established neighbourhoods.

Realtors donate more than $10,000 to River Valley Cancer Support Group

Realtors from the Woodstock and Fredericton areas delivered significant financial support to a group providing ongoing support for Carleton County cancer patients.

On Thursday, Jan. 25, several Woodstock-area realtors representing the Real Estate Board of the Fredericton Area Inc. gathered at the Century 21 Realtors office in Woodstock to present $10,699 to the River Valley Cancer Support Group Inc. representatives.

Woodstock realtor Linda Currie, a board member and publicity chair, explained the cancer group was one of two charities chosen to split this year’s donation. The board chose the Capital Region Mental Health and Addictions Association’s Capital Youth Hub to receive a similar contribution.

Currie explained realtors voluntarily donated money every month over the past year.

She explained agents began making donations during COVID-19 when the pandemic hindered opportunities to gather for events and conventions.

Several Woodstock-area realtors attended the cheque presentation in downtown Woodstock. Four River Valley Cancer Support Group members were on hand to graciously accept the financial support.

“We’re extremely blessed the board chose us to be recipients of this donation,” said RVCSG president Tracey Johnston.

She credited Currie for lobbying the board on the group’s behalf.

The RVCSG provides financial support to Carleton County cancer patients to help cover travel costs, medical bills and other expenses as they battle to return to good health.

She said the group helps an average of 10 patients per month.

Johnston said the organization operates thanks to the generosity of area residents, businesses and organizations who support the group directly and through its many fundraising events.

The next major fundraiser occurs on Feb. 2 and 3 in Florenceville-Bristol when the Florenceville Curling Club hosts the annual Curl for the River Valley Cancer Support Group.

The event welcomes curlers and entertainers on Friday evening and all day Saturday.

The post Real estate board supports cancer organization first appeared on River Valley Sun.

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The prosecution and defence were on the same page Thursday in recommending a community-based sentence for a Waasis man who had sexual contact with a woman without consent.

Where the two sides differed was on whether he should have to register as a sex offender for the next 10 years.

Stephen Molloy, 32, of Waasis Farm Road, previously pleaded guilty to summary counts of sexual assault and mischief causing damage, and he was back in Fredericton provincial court Thursday for a sentencing hearing.

Court previously heard Molloy had penetrated a woman’s vagina with his fingers and performed oral sex on her, both without her consent. After the woman became upset, he damaged her cellphone.

The crimes occurred in Penniac on June 1, 2022.

There’s a court-ordered publication ban in effect protecting the victim’s identity.

Prosecutor Matthew Paik said the Crown and defence were offering a joint recommendation on sentence: a 14-month conditional sentence.

The first eight months of the sentence would be served under house arrest, he said, and during the remaining six months, Molloy would be subject to a curfew.

Paik said the offender would be barred from any contact with the victim during that time and must abstain from alcohol and other intoxicants.

The conditional-sentence order would be followed by a one-year term of probation, during which the no-contact condition would remain in effect, he said.

Defence counsel Sabrina Winters said her client accepts those sentencing recommendations.

She defended the community-based sentence, noting the conditions and its length send the right message of deterrence.

“It has some bite to it,” Winters said.

Where the two sides differ is on the necessity of a court order under the Sex Offender Information Registration Act (SOIRA), she said.

Changes to the Criminal Code

The defence lawyer said while the Criminal Code of Canada directs that a SOIRA order be imposed as a default position, the Code notes one isn’t mandatory.

Recent revisions to the Criminal Code allow a court to forgo a SOIRA order if certain conditions are met, Winters said, and she argued they were in Molloy’s case.

Section 490.012 of the Code a court should impose a SOIRA order “unless the court is satisfied the person has established that there would be no connection between making the order and the purpose of helping police services prevent or investigate crimes of a sexual nature by requiring the registration of information relating to sex offenders under that Act; or the impact of the order on the person, including on their privacy or liberty, would be grossly disproportionate to the public interest in protecting society through the effective prevention or investigation of crimes of a sexual nature, to be achieved by the registration of information relating to sex offenders.”

Winters noted the facts of her client’s case aren’t as serious as some other sexual assaults the courts see, pointing out he was charged with a summary count, not a more serious indictable charge.

The victim in this case wasn’t a minor, she said, and Molloy has no prior criminal history, nor is there any indication of a proclivity for such crimes or a risk of recidivism.

Furthermore, the defence lawyer argued, the crime in this case didn’t represent intimate-partner violence, as her client and the victim weren’t in a relationship.

“I think I disagree it’s not intimate-partner violence,” said Judge Natalie LeBlanc.

Whether two people are in an ongoing, long-term relationship or having a one-time encounter, she said, there’s still an intimacy at play that makes offences in such circumstances a violation of a partner’s trust.

Winters said Molloy presents with a positive pre-sentence report, has a supportive partner and family support, and he’s the primary caregiver for his young daughter.

“There could be a significant impact on his daughter,” she said.

A SOIRA order would likely make it difficult for him to engage fully in his daughter’s life, the defence lawyer said, noting it could raise red flags if he were to volunteer for activities involving his daughter or seek to coach a kids’ sports team, for example, despite the fact his offence didn’t involve children in any way.

She also noted alcohol played a role in Molloy’s crimes, and he’s since worked to address that.

“He’s made changes in his life so he wouldn’t find himself in that position again,” Winters said.

Her client has been subject to conditions since his arrest in the summer of 2022 and hasn’t breached them once.

LeBlanc pointed out the changes to the Criminal Code on exempting an offender from a SOIRA order, they’re not even included in the most recent copies of the printed version of the legislation used in the courts and by lawyers.

Key case from Alberta

Winters cited a couple of cases from other jurisdictions, particularly a precedent out of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta, the King v. CRN issued just earlier this month, which pertained to a man who sexually assaulted an intoxicated woman for whom he was serving as a designated driver.

She noted in that case, the offender had oral and vaginal sex with the victim without consent.

In the CRN case, Justice Eleanor Funk wrote that “ a SOIRA order in these circumstances bears no connection to SOIRA’s purpose and would be grossly disproportionate to the public interest,” and she exempted the offender from it.

The judge in that instance allowed the exemption even after imposing a two-year prison term for the sexual assault.

But Paik countered that Molloy’s case differs from CRN. The Alberta case involved an indictable offence, he said, meaning the offender there would have been subject to a 20-year SOIRA order.

Molloy is only looking at a 10-year order for his summary offence, the prosecutor said, and that would be less onerous.

Furthermore, Paik argued, the CRN case involved an offender who was involved in athletics, and the defence argued a SOIRA order could affect that negatively.

Funk specifically noted in her ruling that such factors “do not establish a gross imbalance between the impacts on [the offender] and the public interest in granting an order. Instead, these are the types of impacts that many offenders would experience.”

LeBlanc reserved her decision on sentence, noting she wanted time to review the precedents filed with the court and to consider the arguments.

“This is brand-new law,” she said, referring to the recency of the charges and the CRN case.

The judge said she’d render her decision on Molloy’s sentence and the SOIRA issue Feb. 16.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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Premier Blaine Higgs returned to pocketbook issues Thursday in his final state of the province speech before this year’s election, making new promises on health care, addiction services and the cost of living while mostly avoiding the Policy 713 controversy.

People escaping from abusive relationships don't have to sacrifice their belongings, thanks to this not-for-profit organization.

Renata Reut, originally from Kazakhstan, got her first tennis racket at only a year old. The gift from her father started as something fun for her to use to hit the balls around, but her parents soon realized she had something special.

The N.B. Multicultural Council brought people together to talk about racism, where different communities shared their lived experiences and learned how to intervene and find support.

The 30-year-old faces numerous charges following a violent incident at Connell Street business in Woodstock

Police arrested a 30-year-old Woodstock man following a series of incidents, including assaulting police officers in the community.

In a media release late Thursday afternoon, July 25, the RCMP said members of the Western Valley Region RCMP received a request for assistance from the Woodstock Police Force at approximately 7 p.m. on Jan. 22. 

The RCMP said the request concerned a 30-year-old man, wanted by police on five outstanding warrants, who was heading towards Perth-Andover.

The RCMP release explained that police located the man in the passenger seat of a vehicle at a business on Connell Street in Woodstock. The RCMP attempted to contain the vehicle. 

The RCMP said the man then threatened the driver with a weapon, attempting to encourage the driver to flee. 

Police gained entry to the vehicle and attempted to remove the 30-year-old man, who grabbed a knife and tried to stab the officers. 

The RCMP said two officers sustained minor injuries during the incident. The driver exited the vehicle, and the man got into the driver’s seat and fled.

Police immediately pursued the vehicle and deployed RCMP Police Dog Services and drone operators to the area. 

The vehicle eventually eluded police, but police eventually located it a short time later abandoned on a dead-end street in Perth-Andover. 

The RCMP said that Police Dog Services later located the 30-year-old man and arrested him without further incident.

After the arrest, police searched the vehicle and seized quantities of stolen mail, as well as weapons.

Shayne Cameron was in court on Jan. 24 to face several charges, including two counts of assault on a police officer with a weapon, robbery, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, possession of stolen property over $5,000, theft of mail under $5,000, assault with a weapon, flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, resisting or obstructing a police officer and breach of a release order. 

The court remanded Cameron into custody and scheduled him to appear in Woodstock Provincial Court later.

The investigation is ongoing.

The post Woodstock man arrested for assaulting and fleeing police first appeared on River Valley Sun.

Man arrested after allegedly using fake Canadian money at Woodstock business

The Woodstock Police Force reported one man’s arrest as they investigated what they described as a “surge” of counterfeit currency incidents. 

“In response to a significant rise in reports from local businesses concerning the receipt of counterfeit Canadian currency, the Woodstock Police Street Crime Unit launched an investigation into these incidents,” Deputy Chief Mark Bennett said in a media release Thursday afternoon.  

The release described one incident on Tuesday, Jan. 16, where an unidentified male entered a Woodstock-based business. Police said the individual presented the cashier with counterfeit currency, including two counterfeit Canadian $100 bills and one counterfeit Canadian $20 bill.

Investigators identified a 25-year-old male who police arrested on Wednesday, Jan. 24, concerning the circulation of these counterfeit bills. 

Police subsequently released the suspect after scheduling an upcoming court date.

The media release asked anyone with information about this or any other crime to contact the Woodstock Police Force at (506) 325-4601 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), by using the secure P3 Mobile App or through Secure Web Tips at www.crimenb.ca.

The post Woodstock police respond to a surge in counterfeit currency incidents first appeared on River Valley Sun.

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A New Brunswick man accused of causing an injurious accident while driving drunk near Fredericton and then fleeing the scene denied the allegations Thursday.

Brandon Paul, 32, of no fixed address, appeared in Fredericton provincial court by telephone  Thursday from the Southeast Regional Correctional Facility in Shediac to answer to a tripe of charges.

He’s accused of alternate counts of driving while impaired by a combination of alcohol and/or a drug and having a blood-alcohol level in excess of the legal limit within two hours of driving, thereby causing bodily harm to Clovis Daigle, Rebecca Myshrall and Skylar Dutcher on Dec. 4, 2022, in Lincoln.

Paul is also accused of a related count of leaving the scene of an accident in which he knew people were hurt without stopping to provide assistance.

Defence lawyer Heather Daigle said her client elected to be tried in provincial court on the indictable charges, and he pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Judge Mélanie Poirier LeBlanc scheduled his trial for July 19 and 26.

Paul remains in custody, but on other, unrelated matters.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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The football community in the Saint John area — and beyond — is rallying behind the fired coach of the Kennebecasis Valley High School's football team. 

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A Fredericton man is headed to trial at the end of the year after denying charges alleging illegal handling of firearms.

Eric Niko Daigle, 43, of King Street, appeared in Fredericton provincial court Thursday with defence counsel Wanda Severns to answer to three charges alleging firearms and ammunition offences.

He’s accused of storing numerous firearms - a Savage 30/06 rifle, a Cooey .22 shotgun, a Remington 308 rifle, a Cooey 600 shotgun, a Winchester 30/06 rifle, a Mosin Nagont rifle, a Dagger SAP6 shotgun, an Escort Magnum shotgun Mark I 303 rifle, an Optima 12-gauge shotgun and a Fusil Rapid 12-gauge shotgun - in a careless manner.

He also faces a separate count of storing a Savage .223 rifle in a careless manner and another charge of possessing a prohibited device - an over-capacity magazine - without a licence.

All charges allege events June 9 in Fredericton.

Severns said her client was electing to be tried in provincial court on the indictable charges and pleading not guilty.

Crown prosecutor Matthew Paik noted the trial is expected to take a day and a half, and Judge Mélanie Poirier LeBlanc scheduled Daigle’s trial for Dec. 12 and 13.

She also scheduled a case-management conference for Oct. 11.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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Hartland Fire Department looking for new members

Are you looking for a meaningful way to give back to your community?  The Hartland Fire Department is a great way to answer that call!  Contact them today to find out how you can volunteer for administrative, driver, or firefighter positions today. Call Chief Mike Walton at 506-325-8189 or Deputy Chief Roy Reid at 506-425-2216 to learn more.

The post Firefighter recruitment drive first appeared on River Valley Sun.

Several tenants are struggling to find a new place to live after fire tore through a large building in downtown Bouctouche late Monday night and into Tuesday morning. Five apartments and three businesses were destroyed.

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A federal-prison term for a Fredericton man busted with a “not insignificant” quantity of crystal meth in his motel room in 2021 was necessary to denounce the seriousness of his crimes.

Judge Cameron Gunn sentenced Lawrence (Larry) Steven Chippin, 62, formerly of Dundonald Street, to 43 months in prison Thursday for numerous crimes.

The judge said the most serious of his offences was a count of possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking, of which the court found him guilty after trial last year.

That crime occurred July 30, 2021, when police executed a search warrant at Room 221 of the Days Inn on Prospect Street, where Chippin was living at the time.

A stash of crystal meth was found in the room, court heard, as well as other items associated with drug trafficking, such as dime baggies, scoresheets and digital scales.

Furthermore, evidence showed online messaging threads in Chippin’s name detailed transactions and arrangements made to sell and deliver meth.

Chippin - who appeared in the courtroom prisoner’s dock Thursday, clad in jail-issued orange sweats - was also being sentenced for other offences, including May 19, 2021, counts of simple possession of cocaine and meth; possession of meth Oct. 4, 2023, and numerous breaches of release conditions.

Defence lawyer Joshua Adams had argued at a sentencing hearing earlier this month that his client ought to be granted a conditional sentence to be served in the community under house arrest.

He cited Chippin’s work with his synagogue and community activism through a Facebook page dedicated to finding missing persons in the area as reasons justifying a more lenient sentence.

Meanwhile, the Crown had sought a prison term of 44½ months.

Gunn acknowledged there were mitigating factors in Chippin’s favour, including his guilty pleas to many of the less serious offences and the most unfortunate elements in his background.

“Mr. Chippin is the child of Holocaust survivors,” the judge said, noting he’s also faced a number of financial and personal issues over the years. 

“Mr. Chippin struggles with drugs, particularly methamphetamine.”

Offender kept committing crimes

But the court couldn’t turn a blind eye to the aggravating factors in the case, he said, noting the offender has two prior drug convictions and that he was found in possession of meth again after he was found guilty after trial.

“The behaviour persisted even after his conviction,” Gunn said.

The New Brunswick Court of Appeal has directed sentencing judges to denounce strongly offences involving the trafficking of hard drugs, he said, citing the devastating effect they have on the community - not only on addicts themselves, but those close to them and the population at large that falls victim to crimes committed to feed habits.

Precedents also direct judges that when passing sentence, they must be “mindful of current social circumstances,” he said.

Chippin’s drug operation was “not terribly sophisticated,” the judge said, but the offender was the one responsible for it, noting the court rejected Chippin’s testimony claiming another man was selling drugs out of his motel room.

“The quantity here is not insignificant,” Gunn said.

A conditional sentence is an option for the court’s consideration, he said.

“It is certainly available legislatively,” the judge said.

But for a conditional sentence to be granted, he said, the term of incarceration would have to be less than two years, and that wasn’t going to be the case.

But even if it were, Gunn said, he still wouldn’t have granted a community-based sentence, given the seriousness of the crime.

“I’m not satisfied it is appropriate in these circumstances,” the judge said.

No evidence Chippin is in danger

Chippin had reported he was concerned for his safety if he were to be incarcerated, given his anti-crime activism online.

But Gunn said there was no evidence before the court indicating there was a real risk, and even if there were, the correctional system can account for safety issues.

The judge imposed an overall sentence of 43 months in prison.

However, he acknowledged Chippin had served 43 days on remand, since his arrest in December for violating the conditions of his release.

Once the court applied the customary 1½-to-one remand-credit ratio, he said, that worked out to the equivalent of 74 days already served, and he reduced the prison term by that number of days.

The judge also imposed orders requiring Chipping to submit a DNA sample for inclusion in a criminal database, to refrain from possessing firearms and other weapons for 10 years following his sentence and to forfeit the drugs and other items seized at the time of his arrests.

At the outset of Thursday’s proceedings, Gunn noted there was an issue with one of the violations of conditions to which Chippin had pleaded guilty. He said there was some confusion about the release order alleged to have been reached May 20, 2022.

Crown prosecutor Rodney Jordan withdrew that count, given the suspected discrepancy.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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Council considering repeal of Sunday shopping bylaw to allow retailers to set their own Sunday business hours

The public will have one week to share their opinions on Sunday shopping in Woodstock. 

Woodstock council wants to hear from Woodstock-area residents, business owners, church organizations and others as it considers repealing the town’s Sunday shopping bylaw, which limits retail hours of operation to noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. 

Council raised the issue of Sunday shopping restrictions before Christmas after a few retailers questioned the wisdom of the bylaw, noting Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve fell on a Sunday in 2023. 

The issue returned to the council’s agenda at both January council meetings, including the Jan. 23 meeting in which the mayor announced the plans for the survey. 

“That is how we’re getting our feedback,” explained Mayor Trina Jones. 

She explained the town would post the online survey on Tuesday, Jan. 24, with respondents given one week to voice their opinions. 

The survey, which is available as of Tuesday, Jan. 24, on the Woodstock website, can be accessed online at https://forms.gle/4PZ1U9m6C8svDV1S7

At the Jan. 23 meeting, Coun. Jeff Bradbury suggested seniors and others without computers or online access also needed a way to share their viewpoints. 

Mayor Jones agreed, saying the town could make printed copies of the survey available at some locations. 

The Wednesday news release announcing the publication of the survey explained paper copies are available at the Woodstock town hall and the AYR Motor Centre. 

The survey also noted Woodstock’s L. P. Fisher Public Library provides free computer access. 

The survey explains the basis behind repealing or changing the Sunday Shopping bylaw. 

“The consideration is for a new bylaw that would allow all retail businesses to operate on Sunday at the hours of their choice,” the survey states. “This would impact businesses that aren’t already exempt and allowed to operate as they choose,”

The survey listed some businesses affected by the bylaw, including drugstores, grocery stores, large format retailers, hardware, building supplies, auto dealers, optometry stores, clothing stores, and several medical and veterinary clinics. 

To weigh input from various community groups and organizations, the survey asks participants to check one or more boxes identifying their point of interest, including whether they are a resident of Woodstock or a neighbouring municipality, a business owner, a retail employee or a member of a business or religious organization. 

The survey asks a single question: “Would you support the Municipality of Woodstock to allow all businesses to decide their own operating hours on Sundays? 

Survey takers can respond whether they strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree or strongly disagree. 

The survey also provides space for respondents to provide relevant feedback.

The survey will be open from Jan. 24 to 31. 

The post Survey to collect public feedback on Sunday shopping in Woodstock first appeared on River Valley Sun.

The American Iron and Metal Facility that was the site of a two-day fire last year is seeing a 5.8 per cent reduction in municipal taxes

A former employee of Opportunities New Brunswick was fired because he filed a complaint alleging that his bosses gave 'unethical directions' and falsified information in a government document, according to a recent labour ruling.

A man from Grand Falls got to create one of the centrepieces for Quebec's world-famous winter event.

New Brunswick has backed away from a controversial plan to merge all hospital testing laboratories into a single system with a main provincial lab at Moncton's Dr. Georges-L. Dumont University Health Centre.

As the City of Fredericton receives $10.3 million from the federal government to spur the creation of more housing, Mayor Kate Rogers says developers have a role to play in selling their proposals to people who already have their own homes.

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A Fredericton man placed on the sex-offender registry more than a decade ago admitted ahead of his scheduled trial Wednesday that he violated reporting requirements in early 2022.

Chad Robert Randall, 50, of Victoria Street, faced a charge of violating an order under the Sex Offender Information Registration Act (SOIRA)  by failing to report in person to the registration centre between Jan. 19 and Feb. 19, 2022, to provide information on where he was residing.

He’d previously pleaded not guilty to that offence, and his trial was scheduled to take place Wednesday.

But Randall, accompanied by defence lawyer Edward Derrah, appeared in Fredericton provincial court Wednesday and changed his plea to guilty.

Derrah asked for a pre-sentence report on his client for consideration at sentencing.

Judge Natalie LeBlanc ordered that report be prepared and set over sentencing to April 18.

Randall was placed on the SOIRA order Aug. 23, 2011, when he was sentenced for sexual assault.

During his provincial-court trial on the sexual offence at the time, court heard that Randall was working as a cab driver when he picked up a fare - a young woman who’d been drinking at a house party.

Testimony showed the victim was grossly intoxicated, and it took two of her friends to bring her to the taxi.

The woman was so drunk that she couldn’t communicate clearly where she lived or wanted to go. Randall tried to find her apartment, but was unable to find her residence, so he took her to his home instead.

There, he had intercourse with her, something Randall admitted, though he contended it was consensual.

But a judge found the woman was clearly so intoxicated that there was no way she could have consented to the sexual encounter, and he convicted Randall as charged, sentencing him to jail time.

Even after his conviction, the offender professed his innocence.

Randall was also previously convicted of violating the SOIRA, earning an additional stint behind bars in March 2019.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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The New Brunswick government has revised an education policy for the first time in 20 years to remove a section that would see the province covering the legal costs of a school district in cases where their legal interests diverge.

Shivering Songs’ combination of marquee festival events helped make the 2024 event a festival to remember. Matt Carter  Every festival is unique in its own way. Locations, venues, and artist…

The post Recapping Shivering Songs 2024 appeared first on Grid City Magazine.

A local couple's ticket was chosen Tuesday night for the Chaleur ATV Club Chase the Ace, and they picked an ace of hearts worth $8.2 million out of the remaining five cards.

Plans in place for the 2024 Curl for River Valley Cancer Support Group on Feb. 2 and 3

Curlers will hit the ice again at the Florenceville Curling Club on Feb. 2 and 3 to celebrate the sport and the community and support Carleton County residents battling cancer. 

The annual fundraising event for the River Valley Cancer Support Group Inc. will deliver a full schedule of friendly on-ice competition, musical entertainment, socializing, games and prizes on Friday night and Saturday. 

River Valley Cancer Support Group secretary Tracey Watson Johnston said the annual event is possible because of the ongoing support of the curling club, the community, local entertainers and committed sponsors. 

“We are blessed to have some great sponsors and entertainment for our curling bonspiel,” she said. 

On Friday evening, the Monquartet, featuring Peter McLaughlin, Andrea Weston, Katherine Brennan and Bazil Kazakos, will perform from 6 to 8 p.m. 

From 10 a.m. to noon, singer Melissa White and friends will return to the event on Saturday morning, followed by local favourite Jack McAfee from noon to 1:30 p.m. 

Singer Mark Reid will close out the entertainment from 1:30 to 3 p.m. 

Watson-Johnson said the perennial success of the Curl for Cancer Support bonspiel is possible because of the support of sponsors, including the event’s main sponsor, BMR Besthome Building Supplies in Florenceville-Bristol. 

Event organizers explained the fun curling event welcomes teams or solo curlers, including first-time curlers, noting experience is not required. 

The registration deadline is Jan. 27, with pledge forms available at the Florenceville Curling Club or by emailing [email protected].

Anyone seeking more information can call Dawn Murray at 506-425-7973, Jacob Elsinga at 506-328-2700, Brenday Dyer at 506-375-4684 or the Florenceville Curling Club at 506-392-6339. 

Curlers can vie for prizes presented to the top individual fundraiser, top fundraising team and first-place curling team. 

The Bath Lions Club will provide lunch on Saturday. 

After missing 2021 and 2022 because of COVID-19, the Curl for River Valley Cancer Support Group returned in 2023 to great success, with curlers and Bath Lions Club raising $27,000. 

Formed in 2007, the River Valley Cancer Support Group Inc., a community-based volunteer organization, provides financial support, information, and encouragement to local cancer patients in the Carleton County area.

Through the fall of 2023, the registered charity supported 1,335 local cancer patients.  

The RVCSG welcomes new members. It meets the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Waterville Community Hall at 248 Estey Road in Waterville. 

The post Share in curling and cancer support at annual Carleton North event first appeared on River Valley Sun.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Maritimes experienced some of the warmest temperatures on record.

Kenneth Scott's photo exhibit at the Saint John Arts Centre is called A time, A place, Our Gaze.

The clock is ticking on a $64-million-dollar lottery ticket that was sold in northeastern New Brunswick last April. The ticket expires one year after purchase and it’s still unclaimed.

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A Nova Scotia woman accused of seriously injuring someone while driving under the influence of a drug in 2022 now has defence counsel but not disclosure of her file.

Shawna Eveleen Decoste, 33, Upper Springfield Road in Springfield, N.S., is accused of driving while impaired by a drug and thereby causing bodily harm to Carter Bailey.

The RCMP charge alleges an offence in Penniac on Sept. 20, 2022.

She previously appeared on the charge last fall, seeking time to retain counsel.

Her case was back on the Fredericton provincial court docket Monday. Decoste wasn’t present, but legal aid defence lawyer Edward Derrah, appeared on her behalf, noting he’d been assigned to the file.

He requested an adjournment Monday, noting his client wasn’t ready to enter a plea yet.

“I have no disclosure on this charge,” he said.

Judge Lucie Mathurin set the matter over to Feb. 5 for plea.

In November, Decoste complained about the matter taking so long to get before a court.

She pointed out it had been more than a year since the alleged incident and that she had never been arrested for it.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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Police seeking public assistance to find a machine stolen from the community of Weston

The Western Valley Region RCMP is asking for the public’s help as the force investigates the theft of a tractor from a residence in Weston, a rural community west of Woodstock. 

On Jan. 18, the RCMP released photos of the tractor, noting it believes the theft occurred between Jan. 7 and Jan 16.

The RCMP described the stolen tractor as an orange 2021 Kioti CK2610, with vehicle identification number XA0G00518.

Police ask anyone who saw the tractor since Jan. 7 or may have information to help further the investigation to contact the Western Valley Region RCMP at 506-325-3000.

The RCMP added that the public can also provide information anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or Secure Web Tips at www.crimenb.ca.

The post RCMP investigating tractor theft near Woodstock first appeared on River Valley Sun.

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A Redbank woman agreed with a psychiatrist’s finding she’s unfit to stand trial on varied charges and in need of help, but she objected Tuesday to being remanded to a psychiatric hospital for treatment.

Tanya Irene Wilson, 41, of Parkhill Road in Red Bank, near Chipman, appeared in Fredericton provincial court by video from the New Brunswick Women’s Correctional Centre in Miramichi on Tuesday for a fitness hearing.

She’s charged with a variety of alleged offences over the course of the past few months. The charges are as follows:

• taking a 2014 Dodge Ram belonging to Hugh Morton without consent Aug. 7 and Sept. 10 at Redbank;

• taking a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu without the consent of owner John Williams and damaging that vehicle Sept. 11, at Cumberland Bay, about 20 kilometres south of Chipman; 

• defrauding Hugh Morton of less than $5,000 in cash in Minto on Sept. 25; 

• prowling at night on the property of Katherine Murray on Hillcrest Avenue in Chipman and assaulting Murray on Oct. 11; 

• assaulting Morton and uttering a threat to cause him death and/or bodily harm Han. 4 in Redbank; 

• and resisting an RCMP officer Jan. 7 in Redbank.

Wilson had previously been ordered to undergo a psychiatric assessment to determine if she was fit to stand trial on those charges, and Judge Natalie LeBlanc said the court had received two reports that both found she was unfit.

Being deemed unfit to stand trial means an offender is in a mental state that renders them unable to assist or instruct defence counsel on how they want to proceed, or to understand the court process and the roles the judge and lawyers play.

Prosecutor Rodney Jordan and duty counsel Gwynne Hearn said the Crown and defence both accept the findings of the psychiatric reports, and LeBlanc did so as well.

The judge said the next step was to determine how to proceed.

Jordan said the case ought to be referred to the review board for disposition, though he added the Crown still maintains its objection to Wilson’s release and said that means she should be held at the Restigouche Hospital Centre for treatment until she’s deemed fit again.

“My understanding is that [the review board] would make that determination, and I assume we would all be advised,” the prosecutor said.

The New Brunswick review board is a body that oversees the cases of defendants deemed unfit to stand trial and offenders found to be not criminally responsible for their actions due to mental disorders at the time of their crimes.

It’s based at the Restigouche Hospital Centre, a secure forensic psychiatric facility in Campbellton.

Hearn said while Wilson acknowledges she’s mentally ill and needs treatment for that, but she also wants to be released.

“She wants treatment before answering to the charges, but she’s adamant it happen in the community,” the defence lawyer said.

Wilson kept pleading with the court to release her.

LeBlanc said the review board will hold a disposition hearing for her in the next 45 days and that the defendant will be remanded to Restigouche.

“You will not be released today, ma’am,” the judge said.

That sent Wilson into a tirade in which she professed her innocence.

“I didn’t do anything,” she said, claiming the charges were “from a man that’s lied.”

Wilson said she had to be released because her apartment is on the line.

“This isn’t right!” she said.

The defendant also said she understood what the charges are, didn’t know what they were and that the charges didn’t exist in the first place.

“I know what the charges are,” Wilson said. 

“I’m not even charged with anything.”

LeBlanc remanded her to Restigouche and noted the case will be returned to provincial court if and when the defendant is determined to be fit.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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A developer is proposing to buy Riverview's former public works site and build a trio of six-storey apartment buildings with hundreds of units. 

Another piece of Harbour Passage is in the works as Saint John continues trying to make the city easier to get around for people who walk and cycle.

Saint John city councillors Joanna Killen and Brent Harris were reinstated to their council committee roles at Monday night's meeting after a code of conduct complaint was reviewed.

An overnight fire destroyed the Dixie Lee restaurant in Bouctouche, as well as two other businesses and some apartments. 

About one in 11 New Brunswickers are infected with COVID-19, according to an infectious diseases researcher and co-founder of COVID-19 Resources Canada.

New Brunswick universities are scrambling for information after the federal government announced new caps on international students, set to come into effect for the next school year.

Fredericton city council has voted to remove horse racing as a permitted activity at the New Brunswick Exhibition grounds, though Mayor Kate Rogers said some events could still happen if proponents obtain a temporary variance.

A recent memo from the province's acting chief medical officer of health to parents has raised concerns about inconsistencies in how the education system handles forwarding Public Health information.

Canadian snowbirds head south for what they can’t get here. The beach, sun, time away from the cold and sea turtle rescues?

The funding will be used for a series of grant programs to encourage high-density and mixed-use housing.

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Some people’s morning commute in uptown Fredericton proved more troublesome than usual after two cars collided at the intersection of Bishop Drive and Smythe Street.

“Shortly after 8 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024, the Fredericton Police Force, along with EMS and fire units, responded to a motor-vehicle accident on Bishop Drive involving two vehicles with airbags deployed,” police spokesperson Megan Barker told the Fredericton Independent on Tuesday.

“Both vehicles were towed from the scene.”

Barker didn’t indicate if there were injuries, serious or otherwise.

She also didn’t say if any charges were pending or expected, but noted the incident remains under police investigation.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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A Moncton man whose trial dates on an attempted murder charge have twice been cancelled after changing lawyers now has new dates set for late May, though there's a risk the case could be delayed again.

The central areas of the province will be in the direct path of a total solar eclipse.

Woman reports incident in Walmart parking lot

The Woodstock Police Force announced Monday, Jan. 22, that it is actively investigating the report of indecent exposure on Friday, Jan. 19, in Woodstock. 

In a media release, Deputy Chief Mark Bennett said the incident allegedly occurred at 8 a.m. in the parking lot of the Walmart store located in Woodstock.

“A female victim reported that as she was exiting the Walmart store and walking toward her vehicle, she noticed a male individual behind a nearby vehicle,” the WPF said in the release. “As the victim approached her own vehicle, the male suspect appeared from behind the adjacent vehicle, exposing himself to her. The victim was able to safely get to her vehicle and leave without further incident.”

Police described the suspect as a middle-aged Caucasian male with dark hair wearing a winter toque and jeans.

The Woodstock Police Force asked for public assistance in its investigation.

“Individuals who may have witnessed the incident or have dashcam footage from the area are urged to come forward and contact Sgt. Seth Cahill at (506) 325-4601,” the WPF statement asked.

Those wishing to provide information anonymously can contact Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit tips online at www.crimenb.ca.

The post Police investigating indecent exposure in Woodstock first appeared on River Valley Sun.