HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-08-30, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2012. PAGE 19. Man walks from theft charge
Fires burning
The Wawanosh Nature Centre’s Wawanosh By Moonlight
evening hike on Aug. 21 featured a campfire finish and
some snacks. Shown are Robbie and Jeff Gordon keeping
warm by the flames before the walk. (Denny Scott photo)
Continued from page 6was driving that night, as he wasalso disqualified from driving. “I’m not saying I was, I’m notsaying I wasn’t,” Logan said.
Hunter said he didn’t believe a
word Logan had said and called him
one of the worst witnesses he had
ever seen.
Hunter said he also didn’t believe
Field and said he found Smith’s
evidence to be credible and
believable.
Field’s defense attorney Grant
Mackinnon asked Hunter to delay
sentencing for one month to allow
Field to get his affairs in order and
make arrangements at his work.
Hunter, however, suggested that
Field could serve his sentence on
weekends and that wouldn’t be a
problem and proceeded to sentence
Field.
Hunter sentenced Field to 30 days
in jail to be served on weekends.
Field would serve his time in
London. Hunter also imposed a 12-
month driving prohibition.
MAN FOUND NOT GUILTY
After beginning his trial in July,
Edwin White was back in court in
August to finish the hearing. White
was charged with theft under $5,000
for stealing two tons of dry shelled
corn from Robert Versteeg in
Howick.
White, who was a tenant of
Versteeg, was accused of stealing
two tons of corn out of a steel grain
bin and selling it for $500. The grain
was said to have been sold to Mark
Clarkson, who did not know the
grain was supposed to have been
stolen.
Versteeg took the stand on July 12
and said he had heard that White had
sold some corn during regular coffee
shop talk in Fordwich. A series of
phone calls then ensued whereVersteeg was led to Clarkson.Clarkson said when he got the callfrom Versteeg, he was happy to co-operate.
“I’m a farmer myself,” Clarkson
told the court, “and we have a hard
enough time trying to make end’s
meet rather than have someone steal
from us.”
White, however, assured the court
that he did not steal the corn. He
cited his lengthy criminal record,
saying that in all of his previous
offenses, he pled guilty and took his
punishment and that he had no
problem admitting when he was
wrong.
It was at this point, however, that
White had the trial adjourned to
August so he could have his witness,
his wife, testify.
On Aug. 22, Donna White took the
stand, saying that due to severe
stress and depression, she was
always at the home and she said she
had never seen her husband steal
corn from the steel bin.
Grant, however, asserted that
White was lying to protect her
husband, a claim that White
promptly denied.
“I don’t lie. I just swore on the
Bible,” she said. “I’d swear on my
kids’ heads.”
Edwin White said he and Versteeg
had their problems and there had
been a number of fist fights between
the two over the years, but that he
did not steal the corn.
“This is the first time I went to
court for something I’ve never
done,” he said.
Grant told Hunter that due to
Edwin’s extensive criminal record
and his history with dishonesty, that
he couldn’t accept his word as fact.
Hunter said he took issue with
Versteeg discovering the theftthrough a third party and that hedidn’t know for a fact how muchcorn, if any, was missing. He foundWhite not guilty of the charge and
told him he was free to go.
ASSAULT
Keith White of Thornton was
handed a suspended sentence and a
two-year probation term after being
found guilty of three counts of
assault causing bodily harm and one
count of assault with a weapon.
White was originally charged with
eight different counts of assault, all
stemming from incidents with his
children spanning from 1993 up to
2009.
The first count alleged that White
struck his daughter several times on
the “bottom” with a wooden stick,
leaving bruises, Grant said.
The second count stated that after
becoming angry with one of his
children, he instructed another one
of children to hold the other down
while he struck the child with an
eight-inch wooden paddle.
The third count stated that White
struck one of his children with a 2X4
board several times, making
comments like “X marks the spot”
when striking his children.
White’s lawyer Mackinnon would
challenge the statement saying that it
was not a 2X4, but that it was a
wooden paddle, similar to the earlier
incidents.
The fourth count stated that one of
White’s children broke a hose at the
home and White became angry,
started to yell and told the child to
go to their room. White then struck
the child about 10 times with a
wooden stick on the lower back,
Grant said.
Mackinnon also contested these
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