HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-02-23, Page 18PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012.
John Schraa of Clinton, formerly
of Wroxeter, was found guilty of
three counts of assault stemming
from incidents spanning from July,
2010 to March, 2011 in Howick.
The first incident took place in
July, 2010 when Schraa and his wife
were discussing their marriage and
financial issues outside of their
home, Grant said. She said the dis-
cussion became heated and moved
inside where Schraa then threw a cup
at his wife. She then threw it back at
him and he proceeded to throw it at
her once more, following the throw
up with a shove, which forced her to
the ground. In the process of the
push, Schraa’s wife injured her head.
The second incident took place in
December, 2010 and began under
similar circumstances, Grant said. A
discussion about the state of the cou-
ple’s marriage resulted in Schraa
pushing his wife to the floor. While
on the floor, Schraa proceeded to
shake his wife.
The third incident, which occurred
in March, 2011, once again began
with a discussion the escalated into
violence.
Grant said Schraa became angry
and grabbed his wife by her arms,
shaking her, Grant said. He then pro-
ceeded to shove her in the chest.
Both actions resulted in bruising.
That night, Grant said, the victim
left the house and stayed with a
neighbour before leaving to stay in a
shelter for several days.
With no prior criminal record,
Schraa’s lawyer was seeking a con-
ditional discharge with 12 months of
probation, which Hunter said he
would not grant.
Schraa has also been “very proac-
tive” with counselling, the lawyer
said, taking it seriously.
“Given the number of assaults, I’m
not prepared to grant a conditional
discharge,” Hunter told Schraa.
Prior to sentencing, Grant filed a
victim impact statement from
Schraa’s wife and a picture of her
after one of the assaults.
Hunter imposed 12 months of pro-
bation on Schraa where he was
ordered to have no contact with his
wife without her written, revokable
consent. Hunter also imposed a five-
year weapons prohibition on Schraa.
IMPAIRED DRIVING
Darcy Creighton of Harriston, for-
merly of RR2, Wroxeter, pled guilty
to impaired driving after an incident
in Howick in September, 2011.
Grant said, a vehicle being driven
through Howick by Creighton was
seen swerving and drifting into the
shoulder on Centre Street. A police
officer then activated his car’s emer-
gency lights and attempted to stop
the vehicle.
Creighton pulled the vehicle over
and proceeded to enter someone’s
house, ignoring the police yelling at
him, Grant said.
Upon coming back out from the
house, the officer said Creighton
appeared to have bloodshot eyes, his
speech was slurred and there was an
odour of alcohol coming from his
breath.
The officers detained Creighton
and took a breath sample which reg-
istered as 150 milligrams of alcohol
in 100 millilitres of blood.
Duty Counsel Tim Mcdonald said
Creighton did not recall hearing the
officer yelling at him, but said he
does apologize for what he did.
Hunter ordered Creighton to pay a
$1,000 fine and he was given a 12-
month driving prohibition.
Creighton has six months to pay.
POSSESSION
Andrew Elliott of Wingham pled
guilty to possession of crystal meth,
while one charge of failing to appear
in court was withdrawn by the court.
Police in North Huron pulled over
a vehicle Elliott was driving on Oct.
2, 2010, and searched the car, Grant
said. After finding a small amount of
marijuana on the passenger, a glass
tube and a small amount of crystal
meth was found in the car and attrib-
uted to Elliott.
Elliott was found guilty by Hunter,
but will appear in Goderich court on
Feb. 27 to be sentenced.
Continued from page 6her marriage to Kenneth lasted forjust under two years and ended inAugust, 2005. She stated that it didnot end amicably. The couple had adaughter together, who is now sevenyears old.Cindy said that Kenneth was call-ing her, sometimes up to 40 times anight, and she would never answer
the phone.
When the calls first began, she
said, she called the police. They
stopped, began again in June of
2010, stopped again and began again
in October, 2010.
It was on Oct. 22 that she picked
up for the first time, Cindy told
Grant, saying that a scheduled visi-
tation with the couple’s daughter
was supposed to take place the next
day and she thought perhaps
Kenneth was cancelling.
Despite the fact that Kenneth was
not supposed to be calling Cindy
directly, Cindy answered and
Kenneth was in fact cancelling,
Cindy said.
The conversation continued, how-
ever, and Kenneth began discussing
his first wife with Cindy, calling her
a liar. Kenneth wanted to talk to his
daughter and Cindy wouldn’t allow
it, hanging up the phone.
Cindy then received another call
on Dec. 17, telling Kenneth that if he
continued to call, she would report
him to the police.Kenneth then called again on Dec.25 and again on Dec. 27. On Dec.27, Cindy called the police andasked for advice. The police told herto pick up the next time he called, ifshe felt comfortable, and tell himthat she would file charges with thepolice if he didn’t stop calling.On Dec. 29, Kenneth called again
and Cindy reported him to the
police.
Cindy said the calls were “very
stressful” and that she “felt like [she]
could not get away from him.”
Cindy said her marriage to
Kenneth was “very abusive” and that
she couldn’t handle him calling her
anymore.
When asked if she had immediate
concerns for her safety, Cindy said
that she didn’t because of the dis-
tance between the two at the time of
the calls.
“He lives in Toronto and he has no
[driver’s] licence,” she told Grant.
“If he had lived closer, I would have
been concerned.”
Scott Cowan, representing
Kenneth, said that Cindy would be
concerned if Kenneth lived in the
Huron County area regardless of the
phone calls and that it wasn’t entire-
ly the phone call situation with
Kenneth that had been stressing her
out.
Cindy said her fiancé at the time
had passed away and that had beenhard on her, contributing to herstress.Cindy said that she has sincebecome friends with Kenneth’s firstwife after she first reached out toCindy after she had split withKennth to “show support” Cindysaid.Cowan said that Kenneth’s phone
calls were calm in nature and for the
majority of the calls, Kenneth was
simply “defending himself” against
the allegations of his first wife
and trying to speak with his daugh-
ter.
Hunter cleared Kenneth of the
charges, but did order him to enter
into a 12-month peace bond with
Cindy where he would not contact
her under any circumstances. Hunter
said that arrangements for visitation
with his daughter would be arranged
through the Huron-Perth Access
Centre and contact between the two,
if necessary, could be made through
legal counsel.
POSSESSION
Edward Kleist of RR1, Lucknow
pled guilty to one charge of posses-
sion of marijuana.
Police pulled a vehicle over in
which Kleist was the passenger on
Dec. 3, 2011. Police found a small
amount of marijuana in Kleist’s
pocket, Grant said.
Kleist received a $150 fine and
was given 90 days to pay.
Judge orders peace bond
Three assaults
lead to probation
Un banquete de escuela
Students at Blyth Public School enjoyed a Mexican spread
as part of their study of other cultures and their influence
on Canada. Shown enjoying some spicy education are,
from left Mark Wiersma, Drew Reinink and, really getting
into the spirit with his sombrero, Drew Van Wyk. (Denny Scott
photo)
The CitizenBlyth
519-523-4792
Brussels
519-887-9114
Check out these and other books at...
Read a great
book this
winter!
AT KNIT’S END: Meditations for
Women who Knit Too Much
Humorous and philosophical read-
ings about knitting and crafters.
Quotes from famous personalities
often trigger the meditations by
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, “The Yarn
Harlot”. $13.95
THE BLACKSMITH’S CRAFT
Blacksmithing is a romantic and practi-
cal skill and it still has many applica-
tions today. This comprehensive book
is a primer of the tools and methods of
the blacksmith and provides tips on
how to make this skill pay. $24.95
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NORTH
AMERICAN MAMMALS
Learn more about North American
mammals from beavers to
weasels, bison to opossums with
280 pages of text and colourful
illustrations. Info on size, habits,
diet, habitat, distribution and more.
Reduced to just $12.99
THE DUST AND THE
DEW
Shakespeare writer
Robert G. Irvine writes
poems about everything
from cattle shows to
one-room schoolhouses
to ancestors and small
towns. 56 pages in all.
$14.15
THE FINAL WORD
The Book of
Canadian Epitaphs
Stories with some
photos of the stories
told on tombstones
across Canada,
some so funny you
can’t believe it, some
“so sad you can’t
breathe for a few
minutes”. $16.95
A GUIDE TO PROVIN-
CIAL PLAQUES IN
ONTARIO
A well-kept secret is in
plain view around
Ontario, telling the stories
of communities across
the province. This guide
describes the inscriptions
on historical plaques
across Ontario. $9.95
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
GAMES & PUZZLES
Kids who love the outdoors can
learn even while indoors with 100
mazes, word games, picture puz-
zles, jokes, riddles, brain-teasers
and fun-packed games. Designed
for children aged 8-12. $11.95
THE NATURALLY
CLEAN HOME
101 safe and easy
alternatives using
non-toxic cleaners.
Tips on how to
clean the kitchen,
bath, laundry, walls
and carpets.
$12.95
THE SOAPMAKER’S COM-
PANION
Here’s a comprehensive guide
to making your own soap com-
plete with recipes, techniques,
explanations of what makes
the process work and diagno-
sis of problems. $28.95