Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Two people charged in connection to moose dragging incident in Killarney:
The OPP have charged two individuals in relation to an incident where a moose was dragged behind a vehicle on Highway 637 in Killarney. On Sept. 28, members of the Nipissing West Detachment of the OPP received a report of a moose being shot and dragged on Highway 637, near Bell Lake Road in Killarney. A joint forces investigation with the North East Region OPP Crime Unit, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and the Wikwemikong Tribal Police with the assistance of the OPP Forensic Identification Service was conducted. On Dec. 12, Alphonse Donald Maiangowi, 73, and Gabriel Recollet-Jocko, 18, both from Wikwemikong First Nation were arrested and charged with: Causing Unnecessary Suffering to an Animal, Careless Use of a Firearm. The accused persons were released on a promise to appear and are scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Sudbury on Feb. 26, 2020.
Jeremy Trodd gets 14 months for 2018 weapons charges:
Jeremy Trodd, the man who killed a Sudbury police officer in 1999, was sentenced to 14 months in jail on Dec. 13, after pleading guilty to several weapons charges earlier this week. The sentence will include nine months and 10 days he has already spent in custody leading up to Ontario Court Justice Louise Serre's ruling. Trodd, who has a lengthy record of violence, breaches and drugs, must also submit a DNA sample, forfeit all weapons and is under a lifetime weapons ban. Assistant Crown attorney Kenrick Abbott was seeking 18 months, while Trodd's lawyer, Michael Haraschuk, was seeking three to six months. Full story here.
Court orders new trial for former Sudbury man convicted of two murders in 2010:
The Ontario Court of Appeals has ordered a new trial for Jason Maestrello, a former Sudbury man who was found guilty of two first-degree murders in 2010 related to a July 2005 drug deal in Cornwall. Two marijuana dealers were killed in what court transcripts describe as a “planned drug rip-off.” The dealers were lured to an automotive garage late at night where they expected to buy a large quantity – as much as two tonnes – of pot. Maestrello was primarily a cocaine dealer, and was friends with a man named Roger Belair, a career criminal and pot dealer in Cornwall. Belair was also friends with another dealer, Andrew Paul. Also present that night in 2005 was Michael Boyle, who had travelled with Maestrello to Cornwall, where they stayed with Belair. Both Boyle and Maestrello had helped Belair with some earlier drug deals, some of which involved the two murder victims. Full story here.
Hate cooking? Support Meals on Wheels and order some yummy food:
If you hate cooking but would like to support Meals on Wheels Sudbury, the organization has started a fundraising social enterprise called Home of Our Own Catering. It is selling meat pies, cookie dough and more. Proceeds from catering services go directly back into supporting the programs and services of Meals on Wheels Sudbury. Meals On Wheels Sudbury is a community-focused organization embracing volunteerism in the provision of nutritious meals and services. To order, phone 705-525-4554 or stop by Meals on Wheels Sudbury's location in Minnow Lake Place (1127 Bancroft Dr.).
Sudbury MP re-appointed parliamentary secretary for natural resources:
Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre has accepted re-appointment as parliamentary secretary to the minister of Natural Resources, Seamus O’Regan. The announcement was made by the Prime Minister's Office on Dec. 12. Lefebvre was appointed parliamentary secretary to Natural Resources in August of 2018 and served in that role for more than a year before the recent federal election. Lefebvre will continue managing natural resources issues, being a liaison within the ministerial and parliamentary caucus, serving as a permanent member of the various committees to which he is assigned, and representing the minister in the House and in public.
Info needed to ID man and woman involved in Dec. 8 assault:
Crime Stoppers and the Greater Sudbury Police are asking for the public's assistance to identify two suspects involved in a Dec. 8 assault in New Sudbury. At around 2:45 a.m. Dec. 8, a group of four people left an establishment on Lasalle Boulevard and walked up Lansing Avenue, where they were approached by a couple. An altercation took place in a parking lot. One of the involved people stepped in to defend another person, and was seriously assaulted, suffering broken bones, cuts and swelling. The suspects are described as an Indigenous man and an Indigenous woman. The man was wearing a baseball cap, and the woman was tall with shoulder-length hair and wearing a black button-up coat. They were last seen running from the parking lot into a townhouse complex through an opening in the fence. Anyone with information is asked to contact Greater Sudbury Police at 705-675-9171 or Crime Stoppers at 705-222-TIPS (8477) or www.sudburycrimestoppers.com.
Improve your neighbourhood, apply for 2020 Project Impact funding:
"Wouldn’t it be cool if we could do that in our neighbourhood?” What would be a fun project to do with your neighbours in your part of Greater Sudbury? A shared garden? Tree planting? Public art? A climate change event? What would you like to see? Got an idea for a project in your neighbourhood? Talk to your friends and neighbours, community action network, playground association, school or community groups. Then apply to Project Impact, which supports small community projects that make a big difference. Project Impact began in 2014. Ideas are pitched, the community votes in libraries and online for their favourite projects, funds (up to $500 each) are distributed and great projects appear. More on this story here.
Concern growing over the amount of guns on streets of Northern Ontario cities:
North Bay Police Chief Scott Tod is not afraid to say that he is concerned with the number of guns - real or fake - they are seeing around the community. Earlier this week, North Bay Police made arrests in relation to a robbery and they seized a shotgun and a handmade handgun. Tod addressed the issue at the North Bay Police Services Board meeting on Tuesday. "We have seen a growing prevalence used in the commission of criminal offences within the community and it is not just North Bay, it is Sudbury, Thunder Bay," said Tod. Find the full story here.
