Upper Kent pair charged with child abuse
Two individuals from Upper Kent will stand trial before a judge alone at the Court of King’s Bench on charges of child abuse laid by the RCMP.
Kathy Ruest-Sooley, 30, and Ricky Sooley, 65, both face eight charges including unlawful abandonment, failing to provide the necessities of life, criminal negligence, assault, assault causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon, administering a noxious substance and unlawful confinement.
The charges stem from a series of incidents between Sept. 1, 2024, and Sept. 19, 2025. They pleaded not guilty, and their trials are set for next year.
Ruest-Sooley will stand trial from Dec. 6-9, 2027, at 9:30 a.m. Ricky Sooley will stand trial from Nov. 22-25, 2027, at 9:30 a.m. Two pre-trial conferences have been booked for next week at the Court of King’s Bench on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18 at 9:30 a.m.
Guns seized at River De Chute
A Clearview man will appear in provincial court on Sept. 14 at 1:30 p.m. for plea on six charges related to the alleged smuggling of guns and ammunition at River de Chute.
Gaylon Ross Smith, 57, was charged under the Customs Act by the Canada Border Services Agency with four counts of smuggling semi-automatic handguns and 12 overcapacity magazines, and one count of making false statements to border officials concerning a search and seizure on July 17.
In custody in Ontario
Daniel Jr. Constandinides, 20, of no fixed address, will appear in provincial court in custody on Sept. 28 at 1:30 p.m. after failing to appear for his trial.
He pleaded not guilty to several charges laid by the RCMP, and a trial date was set for Sept. 10-11, at 9:30 a.m. The court heard that he was in custody in Ontario and would be transported to Woodstock as soon as possible.
Constandinides appeared in provincial court in custody by video on June 12, 2025, for a bail hearing. He was released on conditions, including wearing an electronic monitoring device attached to his ankle. However, he was later arrested and remanded to jail on other charges in Edmundston.
The RCMP charged Constandinides with theft of a Canada Post vehicle, theft of mail, and theft of a firearm on March 27, 2025, at Perth-Andover. He was also charged with two counts of assault with a weapon (a knife) and committing mischief, causing property damage to a door, for another incident on March 15, 2025, at Perth-Andover.
Constandinides was also charged with breaching an undertaking and obstructing police in connection with an incident on March 23, 2025, in Perth-Andover.
On Sept. 10, the Crown withdrew all but two remaining charges from the March 23, 2025, incident. A warrant will be held on file until Constandinides arrives in Woodstock.
Released with conditions
Released with conditions
Colton James VanHorne, 28, of Hartley Settlement, appeared in provincial court in custody via teleconference on Sept. 11 after being arrested on a warrant. He was released on a $300 bond with conditions.
VanHorne was charged by RCMP with two counts of assault involving a female victim, and mischief causing property damage in connection with incidents on March 2 and July 22 in Hartley Settlement. He was released to a residence in Simonds under a curfew and was ordered to have no contact with the complainants. He returns to court for plea on Sept. 29 at 9:30 a.m.
He will also appear for trial in provincial court on March 1 and March 10, 2027, at 9:30 a.m. after pleading not guilty to two other charges.
VanHorne was charged by the RCMP with assault causing bodily harm to a female victim on May 30, 2025, at Wotstak (Woodstock First Nation). Woodstock Police also charged him with impaired driving on June 22, 2025, in Woodstock.
Hearing on sex charge
Christopher Thomas O’Keefe, 27, of Fielding, appeared in provincial court in custody via video on Sept. 10 for a pre-trial hearing after pleading not guilty to charges laid by the RCMP. Another pre-trial hearing was booked for Sept. 15 at 1:30 p.m. His trial was scheduled for Oct. 26 and Nov. 25 at 9:30 a.m.
O’Keefe was charged by the RCMP with sexual assault in connection with an incident on Feb. 26, 2023, at Upper Brighton, and failing to report his whereabouts to the national sex offender registry on Jan. 9 in Woodstock.
O’Keefe pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to appear for trial in December. He was remanded, and his sentencing was adjourned until after his trial.
New trial date
Caleb Wavel Crain, 42, of Piercemont, appeared for trial in provincial court on Sept. 11 after pleading not guilty to three firearm charges laid by Woodstock Police.
His trial was adjourned until Dec. 18 at 1:30 p.m. to allow for further review of body camera evidence from the Crown.
Crain was charged with carelessly transporting a firearm, possession of a firearm without a licence (a semi-automatic rifle), and being an occupant of a vehicle knowing it carried a firearm, following an incident on June 19, 2025, in Woodstock.
Crain changed his plea to guilty on a charge of failing to report his whereabouts to the national sex offender registry. He will be sentenced on Dec. 1.
Sentencing scheduled
Joshua Matthew Jarrett, 39, of Woodstock, will appear for sentencing in provincial court in custody on Sept. 14 at 1:30 p.m. after pleading guilty to several charges.
Jarrett pleaded guilty to theft of a truck and flight from police on Feb. 5 in East Brighton. The Crown withdrew three other charges. He appeared in court in custody in March for a bail hearing and was released on conditions but was later arrested in Fredericton on other matters.
Jarrett was also charged with mischief causing property damage to an ankle bracelet on March 12 in Woodstock and obstructing police on Sept. 25, 2025, at Dow Settlement.
East Brighton man awaits sentencing
Ozzie Jr. Trecartin, 31, of East Brighton, will appear for sentencing in provincial court on Sept. 14 at 1:30 p.m. after changing his plea to guilty on charges laid by the RCMP. His sentencing was scheduled for Aug. 11 but was adjourned to the new date because Trecartin was in the hospital.
He pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm without a licence, storage of multiple firearms in a careless manner, and resisting arrest on July 21, 2024, in East Brighton. He also pleaded guilty to impaired driving and two counts of driving while suspended on July 21, 2024, in Peel.
Other charges of attempted murder, reckless discharge of a firearm at a place while a person was inside, two counts of indictable assault against another man, and uttering threats were withdrawn by the Crown.
Trecartin appeared in provincial court via video for a bail hearing on July 30, 2024, and was released on conditions. He was ordered to have no firearms in his possession.
Trial for Holmesville man
Brent Demerchant, 58, of Holmesville, will appear for trial in provincial court on Sept. 14 at 1:30 p.m. after pleading not guilty to three charges laid by the RCMP.
Demerchant was charged with assault with a weapon (a rock), assault involving a female victim, and uttering threats for an incident on June 22, 2025, at Holmesville. He was released on an undertaking until his trial.
Plea on three charges
Madison Anderson, 20, of Fredericton, formerly of Plaster Rock, will appear in provincial court on Sept. 14 at 1:30 p.m. for plea on charges laid by Woodstock Police.
Anderson was charged with breaching a release order, theft from the Walmart on Feb. 10, and mischief causing property damage to a vehicle on Nov. 12, 2025, in Woodstock. A warrant was also issued for two other co-accused.
At an earlier court appearance, she was charged with two counts of theft: one on Nov. 24, 2025, at the Petro Canada near Meductic, and one involving the theft of copper wire at Wotstak (Woodstock First Nation) on the same date. She pleaded not guilty, and a trial date was set for June 23, 2027, at 9:30 a.m.
Alleged assault in Woodstock
Steven Derek Trecartin, 47, of East Brighton, will appear in provincial court on Sept. 28 at 9:30 a.m. for plea on four charges laid by Woodstock Police. He was scheduled to answer the charges on Sept. 9 when the matter was adjourned to allow his legal counsel time to review disclosure.
Trecartin appeared in provincial court in custody on July 23 after being arrested for an alleged assault in Woodstock. He was charged with assault by choking, two counts of uttering threats and committing mischief in connection with an incident in Woodstock. He was released from custody with conditions.
Guilty of assault
Sherra Gregg, 29, of Anderson Road, Victoria County, will appear for sentencing in provincial court on Sept. 16 at 9:30 a.m. after changing her plea to guilty on an assault charge laid by the RCMP.
Gregg was charged with assaulting another woman and unlawful entry at a dwelling house on July 16, 2024, at Quaker Brook. The Crown withdrew the unlawful entry charge.
Gregg also had a trial set for Sept. 9 after pleading not guilty to charges of breaching an undertaking on March 31, 2025, in Perth-Andover, and criminal harassment by repeated communication between March 8 and March 25, 2025, in Plaster Rock. Her trial was adjourned, and a new date will be set on Sept. 16. The court heard that more files are to be transferred for plea from another jurisdiction.
