Gagné says property crime spree from summer, fall now over
The property crime spree that plagued Sackville and surrounding areas through the summer and fall calmed down in November and December, according to RMCP Sergeant Paul Gagné, presenting to Sackville town council last month.
Gagné was before council to present the Sackville detachment’s quarterly report, analyzing the 370 calls it documented in the three month period.
“The summer and September, October were quite busy with break-ins and thefts,” Gagné told council. “Not only in Sackville, but the whole area and southeast district… The public was generally aware of what I consider a bit of a spree. Especially over the last year, we had a lot of calls, people calling in suspicious things.”
But things took a turn for the better in early winter, said Gagné.
The RCMP report showed that theft under $5000 and break and enter cases doubled compare to the same time period the previous year. There were ten break and enters and 28 thefts under $5000 investigated through the Sackville detachment from October to December 2021.
Gagné told council that it was his impression that the majority of property crime was due to drug use, and dependance on illegal supplies of drugs. “I’ve spoken before about what I think is, in my opinion, driving a lot of the property crime,” said Gagné, specifically naming dependance on illegal supplies of crystal meth as an issue.… Continue
Sackville man sentenced to time served for assaults
A Sackville man who has been in custody at the Shediac jail since July 6 was released Tuesday, after pleading guilty and being sentenced to time served for various assault charges.
Colt LeBlanc pled guilty to two counts of assault and obstruction of a police officer for events that took place in January near his home on Upper Aboujagane Road.
Appearing in court via video conference, LeBlanc agreed to the facts of the cases as presented by crown prosecutor Nicholas Comeau.
Comeau said police had been trying to locate a dark coloured SUV which had been speeding along Pond Shore Road on January 9. Constable Patrick Belliveau approached LeBlanc’s home after seeing a similar vehicle pull in the driveway. As he approached, a high powered blue laser was pointed at his vehicle. When he got out to investigate, he saw three people on the road, one of whom was flashing a high powered flashlight in his eyes.
At that point two more officers arrived on scene and informed the group with the laser and flashlight of why they were there. The three then started “screaming obscenities and saying they were being harassed by the police,” Comeau told the court.
While officers spoke with one member of the group, Colt LeBlanc “aggressively threw a shovel” at the officers.… Continue
Plea on police assault bumped to Sep 9
A plea on assault charges against Colt Leblanc has been delayed to September 9. LeBlanc appeared by video link in a Moncton courtroom on Thursday represented by Moncton lawyer Michel Des Neiges.
Des Neiges told the court that full disclosure had not been received from the crown on the case. He indicated the disclosure may have been sent to LeBlanc’s first lawyer, Guillaume LeBlanc of Fowler Law. Crown Attorney Justin Hebert told the court he had a letter signed by Colt LeBlanc on June 21 acknowledging receipt of the disclosure, but the court was unable to verify the signature as LeBlanc was present only by video link.
Colt LeBlanc told the court he has not received the disclosure, and has been incarcerated since July 6. He was not sure if Guillaume LeBlanc received the disclosure on his behalf, as he ”only met him for a day.”
In the end the judge ordered the disclosure released and set a date to return to court for a plea on September 9 at 11am. LeBlanc remains in custody until then.
Colt LeBlanc is charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer and one count of obstructing a police officer, related to events alleged to have occurred from January 9 to 12 in the Sackville area.
The Times and Transcript reported in May after LeBlanc’s first appearance that he is, “accused of assaulting Const. Patrick Belliveau with a shovel, resisting three Mounties and assaulting Belliveau and Const.… Continue
RCMP charge two with first degree murder
The RCMP have determined that Jamie Leard, the 38-year-old man who was last seen on May 26, has been murdered.
The New Brunswick RCMP released a statement Sunday saying they have charged 37-year-old Henry Alexander Joseph Pottie and 28-year-old Sean Patrick Patterson with first degree murder in relation to the case.
The two were arrested on Saturday along with an unidentified woman, who was later released without charge.
RCMP spokesperson Hans Ouellette says the RCMP is still waiting for autopsy results to formally identify the remains found on June 3 in Upper Cape. But he says, “investigators have gathered enough information to determine that Jamie Leard died as a result of homicide.”
Henry Alexander Joseph Pottie and Sean Patrick Patterson appeared via tele-remand on Sunday, and will remain in custody pending a court appearance on Wednesday June 9.
Jamie Leard’s family and friends are in mourning, and are currently raising money for his funeral expenses.… Continue
Family and friends mourn loss of Jamie Leard, after remains found
The body of a man who went missing last week has been found. Though RCMP have not yet confirmed the identity of the person they found on Thursday June 3, family and friends of Jamie Leard have begun to mourn his loss.
A Facebook group originally dedicated to helping find Jamie has been turned into a memorial site, where friends and family are posting photos, sharing memories, and reacting in shock at the news of his passing. Many are remembering 38-year-old Jamie Leard as a well-loved, quiet, and kind-hearted man.
Family friend Brooke Polley set up the group, as well as a GoFundMe site to help collect money to go towards funeral costs.
Leard was last seen on Wednesday May 26 and was reported missing by his family on Friday, May 28. On the same day, Leard’s car was found abandoned in Springhill, Nova Scotia. Although the New Brunswick RCMP did not issue a missing person notice, police were in touch with Leard’s mother daily, according to his cousin Aliesha Stright. On Wednesday, June 2, they announced an investigation into his disappearance by the RCMP’s major crime unit.
In a news release Friday, RCMP say they, “located human remains behind an abandoned mobile home on a dirt road known as Quarry Road in Coburg.”
The remains were found Thursday, June 3, “following information received from the public.”
“Police were in the area conducting searches as part of the investigation into the disappearance of James (Jamie) Leard,” reads the statement.… Continue
RCMP investigating “suspicious” disappearance of local man
UPDATE, June 4: The New Brunswick RCMP say they have located remains during their investigation into the whereabouts of Jamie Leard. More information is available here.
The disappearance of a local man last week is being investigated by the RCMP Major Crime Unit, with assistance from the Nova Scotia RMCP, according to a release by the police agency Wednesday morning.
Jamie Leard was last seen a week ago, and was reported missing by his family on Friday, May 28.
Police say that his vehicle, a silver 2012 Mazda 3, was discovered abandoned on Main Street in Springhill, N.S., also on Friday, May 28.
The New Brunswick RCMP release says, “information gathered during the course of the investigation has led police to believe criminality may have been involved in [Leard’s] disappearance.”
Yesterday, CHMA reported on a plea for information from Leard’s cousin, Aliesha Stright. Leard “always called”, she says, and although the RCMP did not issue a missing person notice, family and friends have been circulating his photo on social media, in search of information.
“If there’s anything you see, call the RCMP,” says Stright. “His mother is worried sick, she’s hardly eating and sleeping,” she says, adding that even if he’s “hiding and doesn’t want to be found”, she hopes he will let someone know he’s alive.
Leard lives with friends between Port Elgin and Cape Tormentine, and works at a nearby potato farm.… Continue
Downtown Sackville crash related to armed robberies
The RCMP have shared details about a police pursuit that led to a car crash and two arrests in downtown Sackville on Saturday, February 13, 2021.
Sackville RCMP were looking for a vehicle and people involved in an attempted armed robbery in the Memramcook region on Saturday, says RCMP spokesperson Corporal Hans Ouellette.
“Around 4:30pm on that day, the Sackville RCMP actually located the vehicle in the Sackville region,” says Ouellette. “The two people were arrested in that vehicle after the vehicle collided with a pole, after they failed to stop for police.”
“A police stop was initiated, and they failed to stop,” says Ouellette. “And then later on down the road, they would have been involved in a crash.”
The car in question crashed into a decorative black light pole at the corner of Bridge and Lorne Street in Sackville, knocking it completely over.
A man and a woman were arrested after the crash, and the woman was transported to a hospital, says Ouellette. The woman was still in hospital as of Thursday afternoon.
Ouellette says the man and woman, “are allegedly responsible for two armed robberies and an attempted armed robbery in a matter of three days.”
On Thursday, February 11, the Shediac RCMP responded to a report of a robbery at a pharmacy in Cap Pelé. Ouellette says medication and medical supplies were stolen. And then on Saturday, February 13, Sackville RCMP responded to a report of an attempted robbery in Memramcook.… Continue