Woods Harbour Halloween arrests result in jail time

BY CARLA ALLEN

The Coast Guard

NovaNewsNow.com

Close to 30 charges laid against four adults and four young offenders as a result of Halloween vandalism in Woods Harbour last year are continuing to wind their way through court but jail time has been the result for at least one offender.

During the night of Oct. 31, 2006, RCMP officers and fire fighters from the Woods Harbour Volunteer Fire Department suffered rocks, eggs, and liquor bottles thrown at them from a mob of people as they attempted to respond to injured persons, quell disturbances, and douse several fires intentionally set in the community.

Nicholas Mood was charged with two counts of Assault, one count of Assault with a weapon (wielding a broom), three counts of breach of probation, one count of uttering threats, one count of damage to property, one count of disturbing the peace and five breaches of undertaking.

Mood appeared before Shelburne Provincial Court on May 9 and a plea bargain was reached with respect to a number of charges (some not connected to Halloween misdemeanors) before the court. He pled guilty to 15 charges in total and received 10 months custody with two months credited as time served.

Michael Nickerson was charged with two counts of Assault with a weapon (throwing rocks at RCMP and firemen) and pled guilty to both. He received a 90-day Conditional Sentence Order with house arrest with one-year Probation to follow.

Landon (Samantha) Ross was put through Adult Diversion for two counts of disturbing the peace but has not successfully completed it to date. Ross is back before Barrington Provincial Court on August 22.

Brittany Stoddard has successfully completed Adult Diversion for an Assault charge.

Dustin Goreham was charged with damage to property (lighting fires in the road). He is set to appear in Barrington Provincial Court May 17 to enter a plea.

Three young people were also charged with various offences.

One will be returning to court on July 5 to enter a plea on charges of Assault with a weapon, uttering threats, disturbing the peace and breach of conditions. Another has pled guilty to charges of Arson and two counts of property damage. Sentencing is set for July 5.

The last young person pled guilty to a breach of Probation and two counts of property damage. One year Probation and a $300 fine resulted.

Cst. Tracy M. O'Brien from the Barrington detachment was one of the officers hit by a rock. She is the lead investigator for the cases and hopes the convictions serve to dissuade vandals in the future.

“I’m hoping that they see we are taking this seriously. We don’t want to see anyone get hurt in the future,” she said.