Eight months in jail on sex charge
Matthew White, 44, of Upper Woodstock, was handed eight months in jail when he appeared in provincial court on Oct. 14 for sentencing on a sex charge laid by the RCMP.
Judge Karen Lee also placed White on 12 months of probation and ordered him to register with the federal DNA database and the national sex offender registry for 10 years. The accused must seek counselling as required and have no contact with the complainant.
In January, White appeared in provincial court for a verdict following his trial. Judge Lee found him guilty. He was charged with invitation to sexual touching involving a female minor in connection with an incident on June 3, 2023, in Bloomfield.
He pleaded not guilty and denied the allegations during the trial. The court imposed a publication ban on the evidence. White had a dated prior criminal record.
Attempted murder charge withdrawn
Ozzie Jr. Trecartin, 30, of East Brighton, appeared in provincial court on Oct. 14 and changed his plea to guilty on six charges laid by the RCMP. Five more charges, including attempted murder, were withdrawn by the Crown.
Trecartin returns to court for sentencing on Jan. 13, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. He pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm without a licence, storage of multiple guns 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at a place while a person was inside, two counts of indictable assault against another man, and uttering threats were withdrawn by the Crown. His trial dates were vacated.
Trecartin appeared in provincial court in custody by video for a bail hearing on July 30, 2024, and was released from custody with conditions. He was ordered to have no firearms in his possession.
Arrested and held for bail hearing
James Morgan DeMerchant, 25, of Woodstock, appeared in provincial court in custody by video on Oct. 14 after being arrested on nine charges laid by Woodstock Police. He was remanded to jail to await a bail hearing on Oct. 23 at 1:30 p.m.
Demerchant was charged with possession of a prohibited firearm (a sawed-off shotgun) while prohibited from having it, possession of a prohibited firearm without a licence, unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of two stolen passports, possession of a firearm with an altered serial number, carrying a prohibited firearm, possession of a loaded prohibited firearm without a licence, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace, and carrying a concealed weapon following an incident on Oct. 12 in Woodstock.
12-month conditional sentence order
Matthew Gregory Parker, 41, of Aroostook, was handed a 12-month conditional sentence order and 24 months of probation when he appeared in provincial court for sentencing on Oct. 14.
Judge Henrik Tonning also ordered him to register with the federal DNA database and prohibited him from possessing firearms for five years. He was also ordered to seek counselling and pay $3,000 in restitution for damage to a door.
Parker will be permitted to attend his job outside the province, but must follow a curfew as part of his conditional sentence. He had no prior criminal record.
He changed his plea to guilty to breaking into a dwelling house to commit mischief and breaching a no-contact order on Aug. 11, 2024, at Florenceville-Bristol. He also pleaded guilty to mischief, causing property damage to a vehicle on June 30, 2024, at Florenceville-Bristol. The Crown withdrew three other charges.
During the sentencing hearing, the court heard about a domestic dispute that involved multiple phone calls and text messages. On Aug. 11, 2024, Parker kicked in a door at the female victim’s residence around 4:30 a.m. Judge Tonning noted an altercation followed with another person, and Parker was beaten up.
Defence Counsel Alex Pate said his client was upset and drinking at the time of the incident and had learned his lesson. Parker told the court he was “very apologetic” for his actions and vowed it would never happen again.
He appeared in court in custody on Aug. 9, 2024, and was released with conditions. On Tuesday, Judge Tonning ordered him to abstain from the use of alcohol or drugs as part of his sentence and said he must have no contact with the complainants.
Conditional discharge, probation
Megan Grant, 44, of Perth-Andover, received a conditional discharge and 12 months of probation when she appeared in provincial court for sentencing on Oct. 14. She pleaded guilty to two counts of theft.
Grant pleaded guilty to theft of $245 from a coin dispenser at the Subway in Perth-Andover on March 10, 2023, and shoplifting $300 worth of groceries from Jeff’s Independent Grocer in Plaster Rock on Jan. 3. The court heard she left the grocery store with a full cart without paying the cashier.
Judge Karen Lee ordered Grant to seek counselling as required. The court heard the accused was struggling with addiction at the time of the incident, but has been sober for the past year. Grant had no prior criminal record. There was no restitution order due to her financial situation.
Bail hearing rescheduled
Brodey O’Donnell, 22, of Campbell Settlement, appeared in provincial court in custody by video on Oct.14 for a bail hearing. The hearing was adjourned until Oct. 23 at 1:30 p.m. at the request of his defence counsel.
O’Donnell was charged by the RCMP with assaulting police, uttering threats, and resisting arrest for an incident on July 17 at Campbell Settlement.
He appeared in provincial court in custody in Woodstock on Aug. 19 after being arrested on a warrant on charges in Edmundston. He was later released with conditions.
O’Donnell also appeared in provincial court in custody by video for a bail hearing in Woodstock on July 28 and was released. He was recently taken back into custody.
Plea and sentencing in October
Caleb Wavel Crain, 42, of Piercemont, appeared in provincial court on Oct. 14 for plea on one set of charges and sentencing on another. All matters were adjourned to new dates.
Woodstock Police charged Crain 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 gun, following an incident on June 19 in Woodstock. He will enter his plea on Dec. 2 at 9:30 a.m. He remains on a release order to wear an ankle bracelet.
Crain was also charged with assault causing bodily harm to a female victim, unlawful confinement, and uttering threats following an incident on Dec. 10, 2022, near Florenceville-Bristol. He pleaded guilty to the lesser included offence of common assault and guilty to uttering threats. The Crown withdrew the confinement charge.
He returns to court for sentencing on those charges on Dec. 17 at 9:30 a.m. Since Crain disputed the facts to be presented by the Crown, a hearing must be held before his sentence can be imposed.
Man pleads guilty to impaired driving
Lucais Salmon, 30, of Maplehurst, will appear in provincial court for sentencing on Jan. 13, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. after pleading guilty to impaired driving.
RCMP charged Salmon in connection with an incident on June 4 at Carlow. He entered his guilty plea at a court appearance on Oct. 14.
Arrested on breach allegation
Jason Dickinson, 39, of Beechwood, appeared in provincial court in custody via teleconference on Oct. 14 after being arrested by the RCMP for allegedly breaching his conditional sentence order.
Dickinson denied the allegation, and a hearing was set for Oct. 23 at 9:30 a.m. He also requested a bail hearing, which was scheduled for Oct. 15 at 9:30 a.m.
Plea pending for Johnville man
Cole Paul Smith, 30, of Johnville, appeared in provincial court in custody by video on Oct. 14 to answer multiple charges laid by the RCMP. His plea was adjourned until Oct. 24 at 1:30 p.m. at the request of his defence counsel. The court heard that a resolution is being sought with the Crown on multiple files.
Smith was arrested on a warrant on June 30. The RCMP charged him with breaching a release order by violating electronic monitoring and mischief, causing damage to his ankle bracelet, following an incident on June 24 at Mapledale. He was also charged with flight from police, breaching his house arrest and dangerous driving for an incident on June 29 at East Brighton.
Smith appeared in provincial court in custody by video for a bail hearing on May 1 and was released with conditions, but was later returned to custody. He faces an additional charge of breaching a no-contact order on May 29.
Woodstock Police also charged him with assault with a weapon (a metal stool) and two counts of uttering threats on April 10-11 in Woodstock.
The RCMP charged Smith with assault involving a female victim, unlawful confinement, and two counts of uttering threats concerning another incident between Nov. 15 and Nov. 30, 2024, in Johnville. He was ordered to have no contact with the complainants.
Smith also appeared in provincial court on April 8 and pleaded not guilty to three other charges laid by the RCMP. His trial date was set for March 30, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. He was charged with uttering threats, assault by choking and unlawful entry at a dwelling house on Oct. 22, 2024, at Johnville.
