On July 19th, 2024, Sarnia Police responded to the encampment at Rainbow Park for an assault with a weapon complaint. Police believe a dispute over narcotics led to a physical altercation in which one person was struck in the body multiple times with a baseball bat. The 45 year old female victim received minor injuries from this assault.
Police located the accused within the park and placed her under arrest. At the time of the office, the accused was subject to three separate probation orders with various conditions.
As a result of this investigation, the accused (31 years of age) was held for bail on the following charges:
- 4 X Failure to Comply with a Probation Order
- 1 X Assault with a Weapon
The accused appeared in bail court on July 20th, 2024, and was released on a Recognizance of Bail with conditions.
General Information on Bail Hearings
“Held for bail” means the police chose to not release an accused person back into the community.
However, as the police cannot hold a person in custody for longer than 24 hours, we are required to send them to bail court, where they will have a bail hearing. There, the presiding judge or Justice of the Peace will decide whether the person should be released into the community or not.
“Released on bail” means the police held them in custody, but a subsequent release decision by the courts was made.
The bail system provides a framework to oversee and put limits on police custody. It is governed by legislation including the Criminal Code of Canada.
https://www.ppsc-sppc.gc.ca/eng/pub/fpsd-sfpg/fps-sfp/tpd/p3/ch18.html