Month: November 2016

Dogs are frequently referred to as man's best friend. For one man, one particular dog may have caused him a legal nightmare. An eastern Ontario man finds himself facing allegations of drug trafficking after a police canine unit was used to search his vehicle. Kingston police had been investigating a suspected drug trafficker. On Nov. 24, 2016, officers moved in and stopped the suspect in his vehicle at an intersection northwest of the city. It was believed the vehicle was being used to deliver methamphetamine. A search of the suspect's person was conducted by officers at the scene of the arrest, and…

As is seen time and again, individuals who work with others on a level which may be deemed intimate, whether physically or emotionally, are sometimes subjected to accusations of inappropriate behaviour. While in some cases the claims are valid, in others it comes out that actions are misinterpreted, or sometimes the allegations are utter fabrications. A man working just north of Toronto at a counselling service now finds himself facing charges of sexual assault, and an uncertain future. The incident is alleged to have taken place on Oct. 19, 2016 in Richmond Hill. A man attending a counselling appointment with the John…

There are many instances in which a police officer must rely on his or her instincts. However, there are limits to what an officer may demand of a citizen, regardless of what those instincts may be saying. In a recent court case, an Ontario man argued his rights were violated when an officer ordered him to take a breath test, despite an absence of any visible signs of impaired driving. On a June 2013 evening, a man was stopped by police as part of a routine traffic stop. When asked if he'd been drinking, the man replied that he had, but…

The past does not always stay in the past. Sometimes, events alleged to have transpired years or even decades before can be reported and acted upon by authorities. A one-time eastern Ontario resident has been returned to his former hometown because of accusations of sexual assault dating back more than 40 years. On Oct. 27, 2016, police arrested a 71-year-old man living in Manitoba. On Nov. 2, he was brought to Hamilton where he now faces allegations of having committed sex crimes in the 1970s. He is alleged to have assaulted a young boy and a girl in Dundas, Ontario, at some time…

In this age of electronic communication, receiving a package in the mail is an exciting event. For one Ontario man, however, a piece of mail has brought with it a world of trouble. He now stands accused of drug traffickingafter authorities seized a parcel heading to his home from overseas. Canada Border Service Agency officers seized a package in Vancouver on Oct. 24, 2016. The package was being shipped from China to an address in London, Ontario. An x-ray of the package, which was declared as containing plastic bags, revealed a suspicious powder inside. According to RCMP reports, the powder was allegedly…

There are many examples in the annals of law of a person's past coming back to haunt him or her. There are occasions, however, when old evidence can change an outcome for the better. A sexual assault case before a Toronto court was recently turned upside down by the new admission of some old evidence. Near the end of 2011, a trial in Barrie, Ontario, saw a man facing charges of sexual assault filed by his ex-wife. The alleged assaults apparently took place in early 2009. Evidence was presented by the defence indicating the encounter was consensual, in the form of messages…

Sometimes being in the wrong place at the wrong time can make a bad situation even worse. Behaviour that seems suspicious may be enough for police to come checking on a person's activities, even if those activities were believed to have been conducted in private. Two men from southwest of Toronto were arrested under suspicion of drug trafficking after a passer-by phoned in a report to police. On Nov. 1, 2016, police in Windsor responded to a call about suspicious activity at about 12:30 a.m. on Charles Street. Two men were found seated in a luxury sedan parked in a driveway with the…

Many people have experienced a moment in their lives when they acted in a manner that was out of character. If a crime is alleged to have been committed during one of these moments, it may ultimately be viewed in a different light than the actions of a habitual offender. A northern Ontario man found himself in court recently, facing domestic assault charges after acting out uncharacteristically. On March 29, 2016 police responded to a domestic dispute call at a residence in Astorville, a small town about three hours north of Toronto. A 34-year old man was arrested after assaulting both his common-law partner…