While dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the city was not immune to crime in 2021. Here are some of the more high-profile cases that dominated the headlines.
Man stabbed to death in downtown Sudbury on Dec. 15
Greater Sudbury Police Service charged a 24-year-old man after he allegedly stabbed and killed Jeffery Drysdale, 39.
Patrick Johnson is charged with first-degree murder, assault and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Police had charged him with second-degree murder at first.
Officers arrived on scene and located a man who had sustained serious injuries and required immediate medical attention. The man was taken to hospital where he was pronounced deceased by medical professionals.
Johnson will return to court on Jan. 13 by video remand.
Man shot to death on Bruce Avenue
A 40-year-old man was shot and killed on Oct. 11.
Greater Sudbury Police was called to a weapons complaint at 10 p.m. after neighbours reported hearing gunshots.
Information provided to police was that multiple people were seen leaving the area on foot prior to police arrival.
Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact Greater Sudbury Police at 705-675-9171 or Crime Stoppers at 705-222-8477.
First-degree murder charges laid against man who allegedly stabbed another man, then ran him over
A 32-year-old man stabbed and intentionally ran over another man in September, killing the victim as a result.
Kyle Smith faces numerous charges including first-degree murder, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, failure to stop at the scene of a collision and failure to comply with a release order.
He was later charged with robbery with a weapon and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, stemming from a robbery that took place at a convenience store on Falconbridge Road.
Sudbury woman faces murder charge in Jan. 7 incident
Greater Sudbury Police arrested Felicity Altiman for the murder of 75-year-old Robert Keskinen.
Just before 2:15 p.m. on Jan. 7, detectives from the GSPS Major Crimes Section with the assistance of members of the Integrated Crime Team located Altiman on Kathleen Street.
Altiman was taken into custody without incident and charged with second degree murder and indignity to a dead body in relation to this incident.
She remains in custody and her matter returns to court Jan. 20.
Teen charged with attempted murder
Following an incident where a woman was stabbed near Medina Lane in downtown Sudbury Sept. 15, a 17-year-old young man has been arrested and charged with multiple offences, including attempted murder.
After an investigation, Greater Sudbury Police detectives charged the teen early today.
Just before 12:40 a.m., detectives from the GSPS Break Enter and Robbery (BEAR) Unit of the Integrated Crime Section, assisted by patrol officers, located and arrested the youth on Elgin Street.
The teen is charged with carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, attempted murder, failure to comply with a release order, and failure to comply with a sentence.
The accused cannot be named under the Young Offenders Act.
Violent incident on Dublin Street leads to attempted murder charge
A 32-year-old man was charged with attempted murder following a violent incident on Dublin Street in October.
On Oct. 18, Greater Sudbury Police responded to a call at a home on Dublin Street. When officers arrived, they found a woman in critical condition. She was taken to hospital.
Less than 20 minutes later, multiple calls were received about a man, covered in blood, banging on windows and doors, smashing some, along the way. This was at 2:19 a.m.
It was determined he was the suspect police were looking for, and was arrested. He is charged with attempted murder, as well as weapons-related charges.
While searching the man’s home, police found two stun batons, ammunition, various knives and 48 marijuana plants. The plants resulted in the man facing a Cannabis Act charge related to growing more than four plants.
Gunshots fired into crowd on The Kingsway
Three men were charged in November in relation to an Oct. 3 incident where several gunshots were fired into a crowd of 15-20 people on The Kingsway.
Greater Sudbury Police said two men suffered non-life-threatening injuries as a result of the shooting.
The suspects have all been charged with attempted murder and other associated offences.
Charges laid in fatal hit and run near Espanola
Provincial police arrested a 35-year-old man from Hamilton in October and charged him with failing to stop at an accident that resulted in death.
The man allegedly was the driver in a hit-and-run incident on Highway 6 near Espanola that killed 18-year-old Sky Sagassige, from Sable-Spanish River Township.
Attempted murder charges laid in incident that left a man unconscious
Two men and one young offender are facing attempted murder and other charges following a violent assault that left a man uncounsious in the early morning hours of July 29.
Greater Sudbury Police said they received a call about an assault on the Laurentian University campus at around 1 a.m. on Thursday morning.
When officers arrived at the scene, GSPS said they found a 27-year-old man unconscious in a wooded area of the campus. The man was in serious condition when Greater Sudbury paramedics transported him to Health Sciences North.
Later the same day, police said detectives with Major Crimes arrested and charged three people in relation to the incident: a 29-year-old man, a 24-year-old man and a 17-year-old young offender.
All have been charged with attempted murder. In addition, the 24-year-old and the 17-year-old face three counts each of breach of probation and failure to comply with an undertaking.
Sudbury man faces human trafficking charges following months-long investigation
A 44-year-old man is facing 10 charges, including a charge of human trafficking, after a month’s-long investigation led to his May 12 arrest.
Greater Sudbury Police said that back in March, Major Crimes and the Criminal Investigation Division began an investigation after being tipped off about a Greater Sudbury man’s connections to both historical and current human trafficking crimes.
After some two months of investigation, police report detectives gathered enough evidence to support charges and on May 12, just before 2:45 p.m., an arrest warrant was executed.
Paul Castonguay was arrested as a result.
Click here for a full list of charges.
Four men arrested and charged in connection to fatal Bruce Ave fire
Four people have been arrested in connection to a fatal April 11 house fire on Bruce Avenue.
The suspects are Jared Herrick and Phillippe Jeannotte, charged with three counts of first-degree murder, as well as one count each of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, arson - disregard for human life, break, enter and commit, and possession of an incendiary device.
Also arrested and charged was Liam Stinson and Fernand Bolduc.
Stinson charged with three counts of Party to the Offence of First Degree Murder, and one count each of Party to the Offence of Attempt Murder, Conspiracy to Commit Murder and Party to an Offence of Arson - Disregard for Human Life.
Bolduc has been charged with three counts of being party to first-degree murder, one count of being party to an attempted murder, one count of conspiracy to commit murder and one count of being party to an arson with disregard for human life.
Three people died in the fire.
Explosive devices found when officers respond to weapons complaint
A 28-year-old Sudbury man involved in a weapons complaint on Feb. 5 was found to be in possession of explosive devices when his apartment was searched, Greater Sudbury Police said.
On Feb. 5, officers responded to a weapons complaint at a home on Reginald Street after the suspect got into a verbal fight with another resident of the building. Police said the suspect was waving a gun around and pointed it at other residents, threatening to kill them.
Officer on scene attempted to speak with the suspect and the other residents, and after running the suspect’s name through the database, it was determined he was wanted on four outstanding warrants for theft under $5,000 in two separate incidents, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and a bench warrant for failing to attend court.
He was arrested and charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, careless use of a firearm, pointing a firearm, threats to cause death and obstructing police.
When officers searched the suspect’s home on Feb. 6, they found a replica firearm and what were believed to be multiple explosive devices.
