Woodstock man to be sentenced in May
A Woodstock man has pleaded guilty to one count of child luring and one count of making sexually explicit material available to a minor with the intent to create child pornography.
Jason Kuhndel, 19, with his lawyer, Patrick Hurley, appeared in Fredericton Provincial Court on Feb. 26, 2023, to enter a plea. The court has requested a pre-sentence report and a victim impact statement.
Previously, Hurley appeared in court four times on Kuhndel’s behalf, requesting adjournments because there was a “reasonable chance to avoid a trial.”
The charges relate to incidents that occurred in Jan. 2023. Charges were not formally laid until Nov. 7, 2023. Kuhndel was a civilian volunteer with the Woodstock #318 Cadet Corp until Dec. 18, 2023.
After being notified of the charges, Captain Jordan Elliot, Public Affairs Officer of the Regional Cadet Support Unit, said Kuhndel was removed from his duties.
After Kuhndel’s guilty plea, Elliot said, in a prepared statement, that the civilian volunteer was “informed on January 16, 2024, that they are no longer permitted to volunteer with the Canadian Cadet Organizations.
“During our fact finding, we found that Mr. Kuhndel did not inform the Commanding Officer at 318 RCACC in Woodstock, NB of the charges brought forward in November of 2023. This breach of trust is not tolerated, and thus the decision to terminate Mr. Kuhndel’s volunteer agreement was made independent of any potential outcome of civilian court proceedings. Mr. Kuhndel will be unable to volunteer or work with the Cadet Program in the future and has been advised not to attend cadet activities or events open to the public.”
The statement adds that all staff, volunteer and otherwise, have been updated with the policies and duty requirements that everyone involved with the Canadian Cadet Organizations must follow.
“To be absolutely clear, the protection, safety and welfare of cadets is our highest priority—we will not tolerate harmful or inappropriate behaviour from anyone involved with the Cadet Program,” says Elliot.
Kuhndel will return to Fredericton Provincial Court for sentencing on May 24, 2024, at 9:30 a.m.
