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Ellis gets suspended sentence

Curtis Emile Ellis, 27, received a 12 month suspended sentence and a $600 fine at sentencing June 16 in Hampton Provincial Court.

Ellis was found guilty in May on two counts of assaulting a police officer and one count of obstructing justice in Quispamsis.

The Quispamsis man's fine will be considered a donation to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Ellis must also keep the peace and be of good behaviour over the next year.

Ellis was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over by Rothesay Regional Police Sept. 26. There was a confrontation and two officers had to subdue Ellis and then arrested him. During the altercation one officer received a hand injury.

"[The police] don't need this crap, to be blunt," Judge Henrik Tonning said.

Conditional sentence, fines for Rasch

Jonathan Drew Rasch, 20, avoided jail time at his sentencing for a drug related charge but was warned not to waste it by driving without a license again.

The Willow Grove man received a six month conditional sentence and one year of probation in Hampton Provincial Court June 16 after pleading guilty to possession for the purpose of trafficking, driving without insurance and driving while suspended.

A member of the Rothesay Regional Police saw Rasch behind the wheel of a car in the parking lot of a convenience store Nov. 3 in Rothesay. When he approached the vehicle and began talking with Rasch, whom he knew to be a suspended driver, he noticed a bag of white pills sticking out of the man's pocket. The pills turned out to be 56 Percocets and police also found $230 in cash in Rasch's pocket.

As part of the sentence, Judge Henrik Tonning ordered Rasch not to possess non-prescribed drugs, to take courses as directed for substance abuse or otherwise and banned him from possessing firearms, ammunition or explosives for 10 years. The $230 was also forfeited as part of the order.

As for the motor vehicle offenses, Tonning fined Rasch a total of $1,700 for the pair of offenses.

Guilty of assault causing bodily harm

Maurice Robinson, 36, was found guilty of assault causing bodily harm in Sussex Provincial Court June 20.

Judge Henrik Tonning said he found the victim in this case to have a more credible recollection of the events on the evening of Dec. 21.

The victim testified at trial that he was smoking outside the Golden Arrow sports bar in Sussex when he was suddenly hit twice from behind and fell to the ground. He didn't realize the extent of his injuries until a few days later when he went to hospital and was told he would require surgery.

Robinson was fingered as the offender and the two men are known to each other, though the victim doesn't know why he was hit.

A pre-sentence report was requested and Robinson will be sentenced July 25 at 9 a.m.

Stevens was impaired

Jon Laurie Stevens, 37, pleaded guilty in Sussex Provincial Court to impaired driving.

The Wheaton Settlement man had been driving home April 19 when he realized he was too drunk to drive and stopped by the side of the road in Berwick. That's where the story gets a little bizarre.

Stevens went to sleep beside his car and a woman driving by thought there had been an accident. She called 911 and when police arrived they noted Stevens exhibiting several signs of impairment. He was taken for a breath test and subsequently charged.

Judge Henrik Tonning fined Stevens $850 and has banned him from driving for one year.

Drove while suspended

Raymond O'Neill, 35, and Jeremy Stevens, 27, both pleaded guilty to driving while suspended during an appearance in Sussex Provincial Court June 19.

O'Neill was caught May 8 in Sussex while Stevens was caught April 26 in Apohaqui.

Both men were fined $500 for the offenses.

Lopez sentenced on impaired

Peter John Lopez, 54, was sentenced for an impaired driving offense after seeking treatment at Ridgewood Addiction Services.

The Summerfield man was caught Dec. 1 in Sussex after an astute motorist noticed Lopez's strange driving and followed him for a time before calling police.

Upon pleading guilty during a previous appearance, Lopez applied for curative treatment for his addiction to alcohol and he has successfully completed the program at Ridgewood.

Judge Henrik Tonning issued a conditional discharge and has placed Lopez on probation for two years, during which time he is not to consume alcohol or non-prescribed drugs. In addition to a two year driving ban, he must also attend Alcoholics Anonymous regularly and take relapse prevention courses.

Given conditional discharge

Jeremy Chown, 29, was given a conditional discharge in Sussex Provincial Court June 19.

The Sussex man pleaded guilty to a charge of assault in April stemming from a Dec. 30 incident where he pushed his former common-law wife.

The couple is no longer together, which Judge Henrik Tonning said was probably for the best. He sentenced Chown to six months probation and ordered he not have contact with the victim.

Dalling, Lent enter guilty pleas

Stephen Donald Dalling, 22, and Cody Michael Lent, 19, pleaded guilty in Sussex Provincial Court to assault causing bodily harm.

The Saint John men were charged following an incident Sept. 3 in Coles Island. After some play wrestling at a local campground resulted in a brother of one of the offenders being hurt and sent to hospital, Lent and Dalling sought retribution and went after the person they believed was responsible.

They each punched the victim in the face without warning, breaking his jaw and knocking out one of his back teeth.

As they later found out, it wasn't the victim who was responsible for hurting Lent's brother and it was accidental.

Larry Veniot, the attorney for one of the offenders, said the behaviour was "dangerous and stupid."

The victim was unable to work for three weeks because of the injuries and Dalling and Lent took it upon themselves to pay him for his lost wages, $1,600, during that period.

Because of their remorseful actions, Judge Henrik Tonning gave Dalling and Lent suspended sentences with 12 months of probation. They are also to keep the peace and have been ordered not to have any contact with the victim.

Fell off wagon, off to detox

Eighteen-year-old Raymond Joseph Cyr, in Hampton Provincial Court June 17 for breaking a court order to avoid alcohol, was described by his lawyer as an alcoholic in need of help.

Cyr pleaded guilty to breaching the court order by being found falling-down drunk on the street the afternoon of June 13. Crown prosecutor Jerry McCracken said Rothesay police responded to a call of a person who appeared to have been beaten up, and arrived to find paramedics attending to Cyr, who'd been struggling to stay upright after a "heavy drinking session" with a friend and had briefly passed out after falling several times trying to walk.

Defence lawyer David Kelly said Cyr's mother was arranging an emergency admission into the Ridgewood Addiction Treatment Centre for him.

"There's no question in my mind he's an alcoholic," said Kelly.

Judge Henrik Tonning said Cyr, on a Form 12 release pending a court appearance on another matter, had been ordered to stay away from drugs and alcohol and keep a 9 p.m. curfew. He released him for a detox assessment at Ridgewood, placed him on probation for 12 months and ordered him to attend programs for alcohol and substance abuse.

"If he falls off the wagon again or curfew is an issue, he'll be back in jail," said the judge.

Conditional sentence for assault

In sentencing Terrance Eugene McAdam, Judge Henrik Tonning imposed a conditional sentence rather than the two-month jail term that usually comes with assault.

McAdam, 49, of Barnesville appeared in Hampton Provincial Court June 17. Crown prosecutor Jerry McCracken said the incident involved a domestic dispute between McAdam and his wife after they returned home from visiting friends March 30. He pushed her down a couple of times and threatened to strangle her, but she was able to talk to him and calm him down. The pair have since split but still communicate with each other.

Tonning said alcohol abuse creates an unhealthy family environment, negatively impacts children and is not to be tolerated, but he noted McAdam has since taken steps about his drinking problem. He placed McAdam on probation for 12 months with the conditions that he keep the peace and attend courses for marital issues, substance abuse and anger management.

Persistent caller gets record

Jeffrey Tyler Griffiths of Saint John got a year of probation, a fine, a no-contact order and a criminal record for making repeated, harassing phone calls to his ex-girlfriend and her family last winter.

Griffiths, who was 18 at the time of the incidents, was sentenced in Hampton Provincial Court June 17. The calls occurred between Jan. 1 and Feb. 20.

Crown prosecutor Jerry McCracken said Griffiths and his teen girlfriend had been in a relationship that was "going nowhere" but Griffiths wasn't prepared to let it drop, making as many as 20 or 30 increasingly rude phone calls daily.

"He inflicted a lot of agony and pain on his former girlfriend and her family," said McCracken.

"They just want to get back to living a normal life."

Duty counsel John King said Griffiths has moved on, has another girlfriend and is working on his GED diploma.

In addition to imposing a 12-month probation, Judge Henrik Tonning ordered Griffiths to have no contact with the former girlfriend and her family and to pay a $50 victim fine surcharge by Sept. 23.

Change of plea on impaired

Jayden Lee Melvin, 21, of Central Greenwich was in Hampton Provincial Court June 17 for his scheduled trial but decided to change his plea to guilty.

He admitted to driving while impaired Sept. 15 in Rothesay. Shortly before 3 p.m. that day he ran into the vehicle in front of him on the highway ramp onto Route 1 from Route 111, Crown prosecutor Jerry McCracken told the court.

Police responding to the accident noted a smell of alcohol on Melvin's breath. He failed a roadside screening and his subsequent Breathalyzer readings were 160 and 170, double the legal limit of 80 mg of alcohol per 100 mL of blood.

Defence counsel Reid Chedore said Melvin has just completed school, started working as a welder a couple weeks ago and needed time to pay his fine.

Judge Henrik Tonning imposed a $750 fine and $112.50 victim fine surcharge and gave Melvin until Nov. 4 to pay. He also prohibited him from driving for one year.

Sentencing date set

Jeffrey R. Nice, 19, of Westfield had a change of heart when he appeared in Hampton Provincial Court June 18 for his trial.

He decided to plead guilty to charges of having a concealed weapon July 16 and possession of illegal tobacco on the same date. He also pleaded guilty to committing property mischief July 7.

With his change in plea, the Crown withdrew a charge of assaulting an officer.

Nice will be sentenced July 21.

Warrant issued

In Hampton Provincial Court June 17, Judge Henrik Tonning issued a warrant for Thomas Luke Leroy's arrest for a probation violation. The court was told he had vacated his residence and moved out west.