HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-02-28, Page 31THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013. PAGE 31.Man found guilty, says he didn’t remember incidentContinued from page 30Car.Upon arriving at the site, Ansonsaid they parked the Cadillac next to
a black SUV that was already at the
site. He said the men in the SUV
congratulated the couple on their
marriage and then Anson and his
group made their way down the
walking trail to take some pictures,
saying that his group had “no issue”
with the group in the SUV.
Anson and his wedding party were
on the walking trail for about fiveminutes, he said, when they saw theSUV working its way down thewalking trail. When the SUV
reached the group, Anson said,
someone in the vehicle then asked
the group to move so they could
proceed further down the trail. The
group, however, waived the SUV
off, Anson said, as the men in their
tuxedos and the women in their
dresses would have to move into
ditches to get out of the way.
Anson said he told the group in theSUV to leave the site and let themtake their wedding pictures.After the interaction, Anson said
one of his groomsmen went to the
top of the trail and moved the
Cadillac sideways across the trail so
the SUV couldn’t come back down
the trail and bother the group again.
When the group returned to the
car, Anson said, the car was “all
keyed up” with significant marks
made on the hood of the car and the
word “bitch” written on both sidedoors of the car.Anson identified pictures of thedamage on the car, but Brunton said
he didn’t receive the pictures as part
of his disclosure package, so Hunter
ruled them inadmissible.
Matthew McLellan, the next
witness, said it was his SUV that
Anson and his group saw that day,
but that he was down at the dam
under duress.
McLellan testified that he was
driving around Wingham that day
when he came upon Brunton and
Cody Larson. McLellan said he
stopped and asked the pair if he
could have a cigarette.
Brunton then told McLellan that
he was going to “jump” him and take
his keys if McLellan didn’t take him
and Larson wherever they wanted to
go, McLellan said.
Brunton then asked McLellan if he
would take he and Larson down to
the dam so the pair could go fishing,
which McLellan did.
When the trio arrived, McLellan
said, there was no one there, but
soon a wedding party arrived in a
silver Cadillac.
Brunton then asked McLellan to
drive down the walking trail, which
McLellan refused, he said. However,
when he attempted to back the car
out of the area, Brunton attempted to
put the vehicle into drive while it
was moving backwards.
McLellan said he knew his SUV
wouldn’t fit down the walking trail,
but Brunton insisted.
When the SUV was waved off by
the wedding party, McLellan said,
he left the area and returned to
downtown Wingham when Brunton
told McLellan that he had left
something behind near the dam and
that they needed to return.
Upon returning to the dam,
Brunton exited the car and told the
other two men, McLellan said, that
they were going to like what he was
about to do. He then went to the
stream and began skipping rocks
across the water, McLellan said,
before coming back up the hill with
what looked like a flat stone.
McLellan then testified that he
witnessed Brunton take the stone to
the wedding party’s Cadillac,
writing on the hood and the side
doors.
Once Brunton finished, McLellan
said, he said “let’s leave” and they
did.When asked by Hunter if he hadanything to say for himself, Bruntontold Hunter that he did not threaten
to jump McLellan, but that it was
McLellan who had been drinking all
day, not Brunton as McLellan had
stated, and that Brunton was taking
McLellan’s keys because he didn’t
feel McLellan was fit to drive.
McLellan stated that it was
apparent to him that Brunton had
been drinking all night the previous
night and had continued the day of
the incident.
When Hunter brought up
McLellan’s eye-witness testimony,
Brunton simply said that he didn’t
remember the incident.
Hunter found Brunton guilty of
the charge saying that the witnesses
were clear and didn’t back off of
their statements while on the witness
stand.
Crown Attorney Laura Grant
stated that Anson was being charged
$1,224.35 by Budget Rent-a-Car for
repairs to the car as a result of the
incident, as well as administration
costs and for loss of use.
Hunter stated that he would only
make Brunton pay restitution for the
actual car repairs and that if Budget
Rent-a-Car had a problem with that,
they could sue for the difference.
Brunton was ordered to pay a
$500 fine, which he has six months
to pay, and $778 in restitution for the
car repairs, which he has 11 months
to pay. Hunter also placed Brunton
on probation for 18 months, a time
period he increased after originally
considering a 12-month probation
period.
Neil & Barbara Dale
and
Don and Kim Reid
are pleased to announce
the engagement of
Shalena Mary and Donald Kody
The wedding is to take place on September 14, 2013.
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New CAO granted hiring power
Continued from page 29
have total trust in its CAO and that
the CAO should be council’s only
employee. That meant that the only
employee council should have an
input in hiring would be the CAO,
the CAO would then be free to hire
the rest of the senior management
team as she sees fit.
Cuff made the recommendation,
saying that council should trust
its CAO so absolutely that she
should be free to make such
decisions.
Orchard said she was hoping the
recommendation would be approved
soon, as she told councillors that she
needed to hire a treasurer for the
county soon. The county has been
without a full-time treasurer since
Dave Carey was put on leave last
year and eventually let go by the
county.
Goderich’s Deb Shewfelt said it
was about time that the
recommendation came up and that
he was in support of it.
“I’m glad to see it come forward,”
Shewfelt told councillors.
Under the new policy, according
to Orchard’s report, the CAO will be
given the full responsibility of
hiring, managing and terminating
staff.
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