On Saturday, August 24, 2024, just before 5:00 p.m. the Sarnia Police Service (SPS) entered into a weapons investigation at a motel in the 1600 block on London Line. Information received was that the suspect had exited his motel room brandishing a machete. Unprovoked, he confronted a maintenenace worker and threatened him with violence. The suspect then retreated to his unit and the victim was not injured.
Patrol officers arrived at the motel and immediately contained the unit. The SPS Emergency Response Team and the K9 unit were deployed and shortly thereafter, the male suspect surrendered without incident.
At the time of this event, the suspect was on bail for weapons related offences stemming from a separate investigation involving the same victim and was bound by a Judicial Release Order to not possess any weapons as defined by the Criminal Code. The Release Order also contained the condition whereby the suspect was directed to not communicate in any with the victim or be within 5 meters of him. In addition to the Release Order, the suspect was also bound by a Probation Order to keep the peace and be of good behavior.
a 60 year old of Sarnia, was held for bail on the following criminal offences:
- Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose - section 88 Criminal Code
- Assault with a weapon - section 267(a) Criminal Code
- Utter threats to cause bodily harm or death - section 264.1(1) Criminal Code
- Failure to comply with Probation - section 733.1 Criminal Code
- 3 counts of failure to comply with Release Order - section 145(5)(a) Criminal Code
A search warrant was executed in the morning of Aug 25, resulting in the seizure of the involved machete.
Anyone with information on this, or any other crime, is encouraged to contact the Sarnia Police Service at 519-344-8861. Online reporting of many crime types is available through our website at SarniaPolice.ca.
For those who may wish to report information anonymously, contact Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.p3tips.com.
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 on 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.
“Remanded” into custody means the accused was not granted release by the courts.
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.
Staff Sergeant J. Lewis #200
Operations Division