Two Romanian men remanded on charge of illegal entry to Canada
Two Romanian men, who have addresses in the United States, appeared in provincial court on Feb. 7 for their bail hearings and were remanded to jail on a charge of crossing the international border illegally.
Guiseppe Petre, 31, and David Constantin, 22, both of Sacramento, California,
were each charged under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act with failing to appear for examination. They were arrested after a vehicle entered Canada without stopping at the Woodstock-Houlton border crossing on Jan. 30.
Police stopped the vehicle shortly after receiving a call from border services and returned the suspects to the border authorities without further incident. The two men told police they were confused and didn’t realize it was a border crossing.
Constantin was denied bail and returns to court for plea on Feb. 27 at 1:30 p.m. Petre waived his bail until later and also returns to court for plea on the same date.
The charge is an indictable offence under federal legislation and, upon conviction, can result in two years in jail or a $50,000 fine. The two men had a Romanian interpreter to assist them with the court proceedings.
Local company fined $9,000 in farm accident
Ralph B. Culberson & Sons Ltd. in Jacksonville was fined $9,000 after pleading guilty on Feb. 7 to violating the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The company was charged with failing to ensure that work was competently supervised or that a supervisor had knowledge of the Act after a 12-year-old boy was seriously injured in a tractor accident on June 6, 2022, at Bannon.
Judge Sebastian Michaud told the court the boy was rock-picking when he was run over by a tractor and suffered severe injuries, including punctured lungs, a broken pelvis and a broken shoulder. The judge said the work site was not properly supervised during the accident. The youth was left with physical injuries that required surgeries, as well as psychological trauma.
“It was a terrible accident with life-threatening injuries,” said Judge Michaud.
Defence Counsel James Crocco acknowledged the event’s seriousness and told the court the company had taken steps to ensure proper safety policies to prevent similar accidents in the future.
Crown Prosecutor Kathleen Jacobs said Ralph B. Culberson & Sons Ltd. had a previous conviction under the Act in 2017 when an employee died in a workplace accident.
120 days in jail for theft, using counterfeit money
Felicia J. Fulton, 30, of Woodstock, was sentenced to 120 days in jail, minus time served, when she appeared in provincial court in custody by video on Feb. 8. She pleaded guilty to four charges laid by RCMP.
Fulton was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, theft of gas, breach of probation and uttering counterfeit money (a $100 American bill) in connection with an incident at a gas station in Perth-Andover on Jan. 3. The crown withdrew another charge of possession of counterfeit money.
In addition to jail time, Fulton was placed on 12 months of probation and was ordered to undergo counselling for drug addiction. She must also register with the federal DNA database. She had been in custody since her arrest in early January.
Regis Bowmaster, 30, of Bairdsville, will appear in provincial court for plea on Feb. 13 at 9:30 a.m. to answer charges related to the same incident.
RCMP charged him with possession of stolen property and resisting arrest on Jan. 4 near Perth-Andover. He appeared in court in custody on Jan. 5 and was released with conditions.
Bowmaster was also charged with possessing stolen goods for a separate incident on April 2, 2023. He pleaded not guilty, and a trial date was set for Jan. 6, 2025, at 9:30 a.m.
Victoria King, 22, of Sheffield, appeared in provincial court in custody by video on Jan. 30 for plea on two charges. The matter was adjourned until Feb. 12 at 1:30 p.m. at the request of her defence counsel.
RCMP charged King with breach of a release order by removing her ankle bracelet and possessing a stolen vehicle concerning the same incident on Jan. 4 near Perth-Andover. She remains in custody.
King, Bowmaster and Fulton were arrested in connection with an investigation into the use of counterfeit money in Perth Andover, Woodstock, and Meductic and the theft of a truck in Oromocto on Dec. 24, 2023.
Suspended sentence, probation for theft
Tina Marie Eccleston, 50, of Plaster Rock, appeared in provincial court in custody on Feb. 9 after being arrested on a warrant for failing to appear in court on Tuesday.
Eccleston pleaded guilty to a shoplifting charge laid by Woodstock Police and received a suspended sentence and 12 months of probation. She was also ordered to serve 20 hours of community service.
She was charged with stealing $1,000 worth of merchandise from the Woodstock Superstore on Feb. 22, 2023. The court heard she put the items in shopping bags and left the store without paying. The incident was recorded on video surveillance, but the merchandise was not recovered.
Eccleston was ordered to stay away from the Superstore. The court heard she was struggling with poverty and addiction at the time of the incident. She had a limited criminal record, including a previous conviction for theft.
Arrested in storage facility break-in
Nicholas Cullins of Ashland appeared in provincial court in custody on Feb. 9 and was released with conditions. He was arrested on a warrant on a charge laid by Woodstock Police.
Cullins was charged with break, enter and theft at a storage facility on Popular Street in Woodstock on March 15, 2023. He returns to court for plea on March 5 at 9:30 a.m.
Trial date pending on assault charge
Michael Peter Clark of Woodstock appeared in provincial court in custody on Feb. 8 and was released with conditions. The court heard he turned himself in to the police after a warrant was issued for his arrest on Feb. 6.
Woodstock Police charged Clark with assaulting another man in connection with an incident in Woodstock on Aug. 14, 2023. He pleaded not guilty, and his trial date will be set at his next court appearance on March 5 at 9:30 a.m.
Charges laid in Christmas Day incident
Thomas Crawford, 57, of St. Almo near Plaster Rock, will appear in provincial court on March 5 at 9:30 a.m. to set a date for his trial on five charges laid by RCMP.
Crawford was charged with assault involving a female victim, committing mischief causing property damage to a cell phone, and uttering threats in connection with an incident on Dec. 25, 2023, near St. Almo.
He was also charged with breach of an undertaking by violating a no-contact order and uttering threats concerning a separate incident on Jan. 7 near St. Almo. He pleaded not guilty on all counts at a court appearance on Feb. 6.
Released with conditions after time in custody
Catherine Polchies, 46, of Wotstak (Woodstock First Nation), appeared in provincial court in custody by video on Feb. 7 and was released with conditions after spending a few days in jail.
Polchies was arrested on warrant after she failed to appear in court for plea on Jan. 2. On Feb. 7, she faced new charges of breaching a release order, possession of stolen property and several firearm offences for an incident on Feb. 1 in Woodstock. She returns to court for plea on those charges on Feb. 27 at 9:30 a.m.
Polchies appeared in provincial court in custody on Nov. 15, 2023, for a bail hearing and was released with conditions. She was charged under the Fish and Wildlife Act with discharging a firearm too close to a dwelling house and not wearing hunter orange following an incident on Sept. 27, 2022, at Lower Woodstock. She failed to return to court for plea, and a warrant for her arrest was issued. She will answer those charges at her next court appearance on Feb. 27.
Arrested and released with conditions
Corey Andrew Lane, 39, of Woodstock, appeared in provincial court in custody on Feb. 7 and was released with conditions.
RCMP charged Lane with breaching an undertaking by violating a no-contact order concerning an incident on Feb. 7 at Newbridge. He returns to court for plea on March 5 at 9:30 a.m. and was ordered to have further contact with the complainant.
Charged with threats, failing to attend court
Brenda Lee McLean, 60, of Hartland, appeared in provincial court in custody on Feb. 7 after being arrested for failing to appear for trial. She returns to court for plea on Feb. 20 at 9:30 a.m., when a new trial date will also be set.
RCMP charged McLean with uttering threats against two individuals, possession of a dog that was not her property and causing unnecessary pain to the animal by holding and strangling it concerning an incident on Oct. 19, 2022, near Hartland.
She also faces an additional charge of possessing a dog that was not her property for an incident on Sept. 23, 2022, near Hartland. She pleaded not guilty to the charges at an earlier court appearance but failed to return for trial on Jan. 17.
60 days in jail or time served
Steven Frank Powers, 59, of Plaster Rock, appeared in provincial court in custody for sentencing on Feb. 7. He was handed 60 days in jail or time served and released.
Powers was charged by RCMP with possession of methamphetamine and breach of probation for an incident on Dec. 17, 2023, in Plaster Rock. He pleaded guilty to the probation offence, and the remaining charge was withdrawn.
Powers appeared in court in custody on Dec. 2, 2023, for a bail hearing, and he was remanded to jail. He had a lengthy prior criminal record.
In custody, awaiting sentencing and plea
Brandon Cecil Armour, 34, of no fixed address, appeared in provincial court in custody by video on Feb. 9 for a bail hearing. He waived his bail until later and returns to court in custody for plea on Feb. 27 at 10 a.m.
RCMP charged Armour with breaching a release order following an incident on Jan. 7 near Johnville.
He was also scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 8 after changing his plea to guilty on three other charges laid by RCMP. His sentencing was adjourned until April 11 at 9:30 a.m.
Armour was charged with breaking into a dwelling house, committing mischief, causing property damage to a door, and assaulting a female victim, stemming from an incident on June 8, 2022, in Beechwood.
He also appeared in provincial court on Dec. 13, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to several charges laid by Woodstock Police. Trial dates were set for Oct. 9 at 1:30 p.m. and Nov. 4 at 9:30 a.m.
Armour was charged with breach of an undertaking and failing to attend court on July 11, 2023, as well as theft of a vehicle and resisting arrest on Aug. 14, 2023. Woodstock Police also charged him with prowling at night and resisting arrest concerning an incident on March 24, 2023, in Woodstock.
Armour appeared in court in custody on Aug. 15, 2023, after being arrested on a warrant. He appeared for a bail hearing on Sept. 28, 2023, and was released with conditions.
Agreed to peace bond
Braeden Paul Thornton, 28, of Hartland, appeared for trial in provincial court on Feb. 8 after pleading not guilty to charges laid by Woodstock Police. He agreed to sign a 12-month peace bond, and the trial did not proceed.
Thornton was charged with assault by choking involving a female victim and breach of probation concerning an incident on Nov. 29, 2023, in Woodstock.
He appeared in provincial court in custody for a bail hearing on Dec. 20, 2023, and was released with conditions.
Sentencing adjourned on 18 charges
Morgan Nicholas, 27, of Perth-Andover, will appear for sentencing in provincial court in custody on Feb. 20 on 18 charges laid by RCMP. He was scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 9, but the matter was adjourned to the new date to allow for a victim impact statement.
Nicholas pleaded guilty to uttering threats on Oct. 18, 2022, at Perth-Andover; guilty to assault on Nov. 25, 2022, at Neqotkuk; guilty to breach of an undertaking and mischief causing damage to a police safety shield on Dec. 15, 2022, at Neqotukuk; guilty to resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer on Jan. 6, 2023, at Carlingford; guilty to committing mischief on Jan. 6, 2023, at Neqotkuk; guilty to uttering threats and assaulting a police officer on Jan. 7, 2023, in Woodstock; guilty to breaching a release order on March 5, 2023, at Neqotkuk; guilty to breaching his curfew on March 6, 2023, at Neqotkuk; guilty to breaching a release order on June 6, 2023, at Neqotkuk; guilty to two counts of assaulting police officer, uttering threats, resisting arrest, assault on a female victim and breach of a release order all on Aug. 6, 2023, at Neqotkuk.
Nicholas appeared in provincial court in custody by video on Aug. 28, 2023, for a bail hearing. He was denied bail and remanded. He has been in custody since his arrest on the New Brunswick Day weekend.
Charged with impaired driving
Jade Elizabeth Robbins, 21, of Fredericton, will appear in provincial court on March 5 at 9:30 a.m. for plea on an impaired driving charge.
Woodstock Police charged Robbins following an incident in Woodstock on Sept. 4, 2023. She made her first court appearance on Feb. 6, when the matter was adjourned to the new date.
