Sentencing decision in April
Desmon Eugene Longstaff, 23, of Back Greenfield Road, returns to provincial court in April to hear his sentence for impaired driving causing bodily harm following an accident in downtown Woodstock.
After hearing submissions from both the Crown and defence counsel on Wednesday, Judge Sebastian Michaud reserved his decision on sentence until April 1 at 1:30 p.m.
Longstaff pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing bodily harm stemming from an accident on Carleton Street in Woodstock on April 19, 2024. Two other charges of refusing a breathalyzer demand and refusing to provide a blood sample were withdrawn by the Crown.
Crown Prosecutor Charles Couturier recommended Longstaff serve 12 months in jail and be prohibited from driving for at least two years. The Crown also asked for a two-year probation for the accused.
“It’s a serious offence, and Mr. Longstaff is responsible,” Couturier said. “Three victims were quite injured.”
The court heard Woodstock Police were called to a residence on Richmond Street around midnight, where two women and a man were found smelling of gasoline and suffering from significant injuries caused by an accident on a sharp turn on nearby Carleton Street. An ambulance was called to the residence, and police proceeded to the accident location, where they spotted a taxi cab stopped on the street and a side-by-side turned upside down in a cedar hedge.
Longstaff was still at the scene and admitted to being the driver of the all-terrain vehicle. He sustained only minor injuries in the mishap. A witness told police the group left the Woodstock Legion on the side-by-side in an intoxicated condition.
Defence Counsel Patrick Hurley requested that Longstaff receive 12 months of house arrest and two years of probation. He said his client was a youthful offender with no criminal record and a stellar work history. He said Longstaff met his three passengers for the first time on the night of the accident, and soon regretted it.
“I made a mistake and I wish it didn’t happen,” Longstaff told the court. “I take full responsibility for it.”
107 days or time served
Jacob Jinson, 26, of Somerville, was sentenced to 107 days in jail or time served when he appeared in provincial court in custody on Feb. 26. He was also placed on 12 months of probation.
Jinson had been in custody since December after being arrested on a warrant and denied bail. He pleaded guilty to uttering threats on April 10, 2024, in Somerville, breaching his release order between Dec. 19 and Dec. 20, 2025, in Woodstock, and failing to appear in court on Aug. 6, 2024. Another breach charge was withdrawn.
On Feb. 17, Jinson also appeared in provincial court in custody via video to answer a separate charge laid by Woodstock Police. He was charged with possession of stolen property (a Husqvarna whipper snipper) on Oct. 30, 2025, in Woodstock. He returns to court for plea on March 10 at 9:30 a.m.
Another individual, Christopher Mean, 36, of Woodstock, also appeared in court on Feb. 17 on a charge of having a stolen Husqvarna whipper snipper on the same date. He returns to court for plea on March 17 at 9:30 a.m.
Remanded for bail hearing
James Blair Hovey, 29, of Perth Andover, appeared in provincial court in custody via video on Feb. 26 for a bail hearing on five charges laid by the RCMP. The hearing was adjourned until March 5 at 9:30 a.m. at the request of his defence counsel.
Hovey was charged with resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer, possession of a stolen snowmobile, flight from police and breach of probation following an incident on Feb. 24 at Florenceville-Bristol.
Charges withdrawn
Destiny Justice Wolf, 25, of Hanwell, appeared for trial in provincial court on Feb. 25after pleading not guilty to two charges. The Crown withdrew the charges, and the trial was cancelled.
Wolf was charged by Woodstock Police with possession of stolen property and breach of probation, stemming from an incident on May 20, 2024, in Woodstock. She appeared in court in custody via teleconference and was released with conditions.
Judge and jury trial
Jacob David Murray Munn, 31, of Woodstock, appeared in provincial court on Feb. 26 and pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault. He elected trial by judge and jury at the Court of King’s Bench. A date for his trial will be set on the next Motion Day in April.
Munn appeared in provincial court in custody on Dec. 18, 2025, for a bail hearing and was released on conditions, including a curfew. On Jan. 13, his conditions were varied to allow him to return to a residence in Woodstock. He must abstain from alcohol and drugs during his release.
Munn was charged by Woodstock Police with aggravated assault on another man by wounding him on Dec. 7, 2025, near the Knights of Columbus Hall on Charles Street. The charge was laid after the victim was transported to the hospital in Fredericton for treatment of serious injuries. Munn has no prior criminal record.
A co-accused, Colton Kyle Weeks, 29, of Rosedale, appeared in provincial court on Jan. 5 and pleaded not guilty. His trial date in provincial court was set for Jan. 28-29, 2027, at 9:30 a.m. He was released from custody on $2,500 bail on Dec. 15, 2025, with conditions.
Weeks was charged by Woodstock Police with pointing a firearm at another person, assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace, and careless use of a firearm for the same incident on Dec. 7, 2025, in Woodstock. He has no prior criminal record.
10-month conditional sentence
Braxton Denny, 25, of Jacksonville, appeared for sentencing in provincial court on Feb. 26 after changing his plea to guilty on several charges.
Judge Rose Campbell handed him a 10-month conditional sentence order, including five months of house arrest and five months of following a curfew. He will be permitted to attend work during his house arrest. Denny was also placed on 18 months probation and ordered to seek counselling as required.
Denny was charged by Woodstock Police with assault, committing mischief by damaging a TV, and breach of a release order by failing to abstain from drugs between May 1 and June 6, 2024, in Woodstock; and assaulting a woman, assault by choking, two counts of uttering threats, committing mischief by damaging a mirror and a door, and breach of a release order by failing to abstain from drugs for another incident between June 6-7, 2024, in Woodstock.
He agreed to sign a 12-month peace bond on the assault charges and then pleaded guilty to the remaining charges laid in 2024. The peace bond will result in the withdrawal of the assault charges.
Sentencing adjourned to May
Karen Irene Davenport, 44, of Jackson Falls, will appear for sentencing in provincial court on May 19 at 9:30 a.m. after pleading guilty to an impaired driving charge.
Davenport was charged by Woodstock Police in connection with an incident on March 20 in Woodstock. She was scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 27, but the matter was adjourned to allow for the completion of a pre-sentence report.
Delay application postpones sentence
Cindy Darlene Nicholson, 51, of Upper Woodstock, appeared for sentencing in provincial court on Feb. 25 after changing her plea to guilty on a charge of impaired driving.
Her sentencing was adjourned after Defence Counsel Lindsay Paul requested a hearing about Nicholson’s application to the court, citing delays in her case. By law, criminal proceedings in provincial court must conclude within 18 months of the charges being laid, or they may be stayed.
Crown Prosecutor Charles Couturier argued that most of the delays were caused by the accused, citing Nicholson’s appearance in court several times without legal counsel. Shortly after making her application, she waived the delay and eventually pleaded guilty to the charge.
On Feb. 25, she told the court she made those decisions to expedite her file.
“It’s been going on for two years,” Nicholson stated.
Judge Sebastian Michaud said Nicholson had a right to a hearing about her application and booked it for April 10 at 1:30 p.m.
Nicholson was charged by Woodstock Police in connection with an incident on Oct. 16, 2023, in Woodstock. The court heard the Crown would be seeking a custodial sentence of 120 days based on her record of prior convictions for impaired driving.
Released with conditions
Jeffrey Richard Bull, 45, of Newburg, appeared in provincial court in custody via video on Feb. 26 for a bail hearing after being arrested on a charge of breaching his release order (curfew).
Bull was charged by the RCMP in connection with an incident on Feb. 14 in Newburg. Judge Henrik Tonning released him with conditions and ordered him to return to court for plea on April 13 at 9:30 a.m.
Bull will also stand trial on April 13 at 9:30 a.m. after pleading not guilty to other charges laid by Woodstock Police and RCMP.
Bull was charged with aggravated assault and breach of probation concerning an incident on Sept. 8, 2024, at 2 a.m., when a man suffered a broken elbow after being struck by a bat on St. James Street in Woodstock.
Bull was also charged by the RCMP with possession of stolen speakers on Sept. 22, 2024, at Newbridge, and breaking into a dwelling house and breach of probation on March 16, 2025, at Bulls Creek. He pleaded not guilty. He appeared in provincial court in custody by video for a bail hearing and was released with conditions. Bull has a prior criminal record.
Denied bail and remanded
Brandon Coté, 30, of no fixed address, was denied bail when he appeared in provincial court in custody via video on Feb. 26. He returns to court in custody for plea on March 12 at 9:30 a.m.
Coté was charged by RCMP with flight from police, dangerous driving, possession of a firearm without a licence (a pump-action shotgun), breach of probation, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace, and possession of a firearm while prohibited from having it in connection with an incident on Feb. 16 in Florenceville-Bristol when a spike belt was used to stop a vehicle.
Three charged in string of thefts
Three individuals have been charged in connection with a string of thefts in the Woodstock area.
Michael Ronald McKee, 25, of Woodstock, appeared in court in custody via video on Feb. 26 and told the court he intended to plead guilty to all charges. The matter was adjourned until March 9 at 9:30 a.m. for a monitoring hearing after McKee requested the transfer of his file to Fredericton, where he is facing other charges.
McKee and Bastian Kitchener Bradbury, 19, of Fredericton, were each charged with breaking into a woodworking shop on Searle Street in Woodstock, possession of stolen tools, possession of a stolen vehicle (a Mazda CX5), possession of break-in tools, and prowling at night on Nov. 24, 2025. Bradbury also faces a charge of wearing a mask for the commission of an offence.
McKee waived his bail until later. He was also charged with possession of a stolen vehicle for an incident on Nov. 5, 2025, at Bedell.
Both men were also charged with theft of copper wire on Nov. 24, 2025, from the back of a truck at Wotstak (Woodstock First Nation). The court heard the two are also facing other charges in Fredericton.
Bradbury appeared in provincial court in custody via video on Feb. 5 for a bail hearing. He was released with conditions to a rehab facility near Sussex and returns to court for plea on March 3 at 1:30 p.m.
Madison Anderson, 20, of Fredericton, formerly of Plaster Rock, was charged with two counts of theft on Nov. 24, 2025, at the Petro Canada near Meductic. She is also charged in connection with a copper wire theft at Wotstak (Woodstock First Nation) on the same date. She returns to court for plea on March 3 at 9:30 a.m.
Charged with public mischief
Julie Anne James, 38, of Debec, will appear in provincial court on March 24 at 9:30 a.m. for plea on two charges laid by the RCMP.
James was charged with two counts of public mischief by misleading police in connection with incidents on Oct. 19, 2025, and Sept. 28, 2025. She made her first court appearance on Feb. 24 when the matter was adjourned to the new date.
Released on undertaking
Christian Cioc, 57, of Woodstock, will appear in provincial court on March 24 at 9:30 a.m. to answer three charges laid by Woodstock Police.
Cioc was charged with two counts of criminal harassment between Aug. 8, 2025 and Jan. 8, 2026, and stalking a female person between Oct. 18, 2025, and Jan. 26, 2026, in Woodstock. He made his first court appearance on Feb. 24 and was released on an undertaking.
Sentencing and peace bond
Riley Patrick Michaud, 22, of Woodstock, appeared for trial in provincial court on Feb. 23 and changed his plea to guilty on one charge laid by Woodstock Police. His sentencing was booked for June 1 at 9:30 a.m.
Michaud pleaded guilty to breaching a no-contact order against a female complainant stemming from an incident on Oct. 2, 2024, in Woodstock.
He was also charged with assault involving a female victim in connection with another incident on Aug. 21, 2024, in Woodstock. He agreed to sign a 12-month peace bond on the assault charge. The peace bond will result in the charge being withdrawn.
Failed to appear
Collin Francis Bear, 35, of Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation), failed to appear for trial in provincial court on Feb. 23 after pleading not guilty to an assault charge laid by the RCMP. A warrant was held on file, and a monitoring hearing was set for March 5 at 9:30 a.m. to set a new trial date.
Bear was charged in connection with an incident at Neqotkuk in 2024. In January, the court heard a resolution was being sought with the Crown.
Sentencing in April
Ashley Marie Bernard, 39, of Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation), appeared for trial in provincial court on Feb. 23 and changed her plea to guilty on three charges laid by the RCMP. Her sentencing date was set for April 22 at 9:30 a.m.
Bernard appeared in provincial court in custody via teleconference on Nov. 18 and was released with conditions. She was charged with theft, breach of probation, and breach of her release order (curfew) on Nov. 17, 2025, in Perth-Andover.
Not-guilty plea
Brycen Trae Stewart, 28, of Lakeville, appeared in provincial court in custody by video on Feb. 26 for a monitoring hearing after pleading not guilty to two counts of breaching his release order. The court heard a resolution is being sought with the Crown, so the matter was adjourned until March 12 at 9:30 a.m.
Stewart was charged by Woodstock Police stemming from incidents on Dec. 4 and Dec. 7, 2025, in Woodstock. He was denied bail and remanded. His trial was booked for March 12 at 9:30 a.m.
Stewart appeared in provincial court in custody via teleconference on Dec. 8, 2025, to answer a charge of breaching his release order on Dec. 7, 2025, at Wilmot. He was released with conditions at that time, but was re-arrested.
He is also awaiting trial on March 12-13 at 9:30 a.m. after pleading not guilty to other charges laid by Woodstock Police and RCMP.
Stewart was charged by Woodstock Police with dangerous driving, flight from police and breaching his curfew on Dec. 16, 2024, in Woodstock. He was also charged with breaching a no-contact order on Jan. 13, 2025, in Woodstock.
Stewart was also charged with two counts of breaching his release order (curfew) concerning incidents on Sept. 24 and Oct. 8, 2024, in Woodstock. He was charged with breaking into a dwelling house on May 25, 2024, in Killoween and possession of a stolen vehicle on Aug. 4, 2023, in Lakeville.
Charges being transferred
Kristen Hamilton Smith, 34, of Carlingford, appeared in provincial court in custody via video on Feb. 26 for a monitoring hearing about several charges laid by the RCMP.
She requested that the charges be transferred to Edmundston, so the matter was adjourned until April 21 at 9:30 a.m. Hamilton-Smith told the court she was being sentenced in Edmundston on other charges on March 25.
Hamilton-Smith appeared in provincial court in custody via teleconference in December after being arrested on a warrant. She waived her bail until later and was remanded to jail. She told the court she intends to plead guilty to the charges.
Hamilton-Smith was charged with breach of a release order for violating electronic monitoring and mischief, causing property damage to her ankle bracelet, in an incident on May 17, 2025, in East Brighton.
She was also charged with possession of a stolen truck on June 27, 2025, in Canterbury; three counts of theft from businesses in Plaster Rock and Perth-Andover on Oct. 27, 2025, and two counts of mischief, break and enter, flight from police, and dangerous driving for an incident on Oct. 23, 2025, in Perth-Andover.
Trafficking and gun charges
Samuel Robert Crewe, 31, and Timothy Brian Wheelan, 39, both of Jacksonville, appeared in provincial court in custody on Feb. 26 to deal with charges laid by local police. All matters were adjourned until March 3 at 9:30 a.m.
The RCMP charged the two accused with possession of methamphetamine, ecstasy, cocaine and fentanyl, all for the purpose of trafficking in connection with incidents between June 1 and June 13, 2025, in Jacksonville. Crewe pleaded not guilty, but his trial date has not been set.
Crewe also has 13 gun charges related to the same incident in June 2025. He pleaded not guilty, and trial dates were set for Sept. 16, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. and Nov. 13, 2026, at 9:30 a.m.
Wheelan is also awaiting plea on 42 related gun charges laid by Woodstock Police. He was denied bail on Nov. 20, 2025. He was also charged by the RCMP with breach of a peace bond, possession of a stolen utility trailer, resisting arrest, dangerous driving, and flight from police on Nov. 17, 2025, in Meductic. He is also facing four threat charges.
Crewe was sentenced to three years in federal prison, minus time served, when he appeared in provincial court in custody via video on Jan. 26. He pleaded guilty to a raft of drug and theft charges, as well as driving offences, laid by Woodstock Police and the RCMP. He had a prior criminal record.
Peace bond for Meductic man
Matthew William Harris, 46, of Meductic, appeared in provincial court via video from federal prison on Feb. 27 for his trial on two charges in Woodstock. He agreed to sign a 12-month peace bond, and the trial was cancelled. The court heard that both Harris and the female complainant were both in prison
Harris pleaded not guilty to assault by choking involving a female victim and committing mischief causing property damage following an incident on Sept. 2, 2025, in Meductic, as well as two counts of driving while suspended.
Harris was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison when he appeared in provincial court in Fredericton on Nov. 20, 2025, on a drug trafficking charge.
Harris and co-accused, Robert Louis Michaud, 54, formerly of Grand Falls, and Adrienne Susan Dickison, 34, of Dow Settlement, were charged for an incident at the airport in Lincoln on Nov. 23, 2023, when a quantity of crystal meth was seized by police.
Michaud and Dickison were each sentenced in Fredericton to two years in federal prison in October 2025.
