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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-11-04, Page 16PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2010. Form a line The Ethel United Church held its annual harvest supper on Oct. 24 at Grey Central Public School. There were two sittings for the dinner, one at 4 p.m. and one at 6 p.m. (Jim Brown photo) James Hubbard of Blyth was found guilty of assault by Judge R.G.E. Hunter on Oct. 21 in Wingham Court, resulting in a 90- day intermittent jail term. Hubbard was taken into custody on Oct. 21 after his guilty plea by Huron Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers and then released. He was ordered to report back to jail the following Saturday at 9 a.m. until Sunday at 6 p.m. and every weekend thereafter until his term is complete. Hunter gave Hubbard the choice of an intermittent sentence or a full sentence and in order to maintain his job, he opted for an intermittent sentence. The charge of assault causing bodily harm stemmed from an incident on July 11, 2009 when he attended the residence of his former girlfriend in Blyth, with whom he has two young children. Hubbard was under the impression that a young man on the front lawn of the home was now romantically involved with his ex- girlfriend, said Crown Attorney Bob Morris, and Hubbard attacked the man unprovoked. The attack, which Hunter called “fairly vicious” resulted in the victim being hospitalized for five days and missing a week’s work. As a result of the assault, which Morris said left the victim unconscious and bleeding from his head, the victim received six stitches on his jaw, suffered a concussion, several facial lacerations and injuries to the head, face and neck. Morris stated that the attack involved punching until the victim fell to the ground and then escalated to punching and kicking once the victim was on the ground, whichboth Hubbard and his defenseattorney Phil Cornish denied.The victim was then taken to Clinton Hospital where he was treated for his injuries. He was admitted on the day of the incident (July 11) and was released on July 15, Morris said. An aggravating factor to the 90- day jail term, Morris said, was an additional charge of mischief under $5,000 that occurred over a month later on August 24 when Hubbard went to his ex-girlfriend’s home. Morris said he asked her to take him back and when she refused, he became agitated and punched several holes in the wall of her home. He also punched the window on her microwave oven out. Morris said the subsequent event illustrated anger issues that Hubbard has. Earlier brushes with the law were also highlighted by Morris, including a 2006 charge for assault and some youth courts incidents. While Cornish asked for a sentence that didn’t include jail time, Hunter insisted that Hubbard see jail time due to the nature of the assault and his prior record. In addition to the jail time, Hubbard was issued a $250 fine for the property damage as a result of the August 24 incident and $300 of restitution to be paid to the assault victim for lost wages during the week he was in the hospital. He was also given 12 months probation. Cornish pled his client’s case, saying that he has “persevered” and has proven to be “resilient” through a tough childhood that involved growing up in a foster home. Hunter said he acknowledged some of the positive aspects of Cornish’s submission, but that the unprovoked and vicious nature of the assault were too prevalent toignore.UTTERING THREATSJason Hutchings of Listowel was given a suspended sentence, 18 months probation and a $500 fine from an incident in late August in the Municipality of Huron East. Over the course of August 29, 30 and 31, Morris said Hutchings sent over 80 menacing text messages to his ex-girlfriend that she found to be threatening. These messages included one that threatened her life and one that featured a picture of him with a noose around his neck. In addition, Morris said that Hutchings had also posted nude pictures of the victim on the internet. Hunter told Hutchings he is to have no contact with the victim whatsoever and that if he returns to a court Hunter is presiding over, there will be consequences, saying that if he contacts the victim again and appears in front of him, to “bring a toothbrush and a large supply of toothpaste. And stay off the computer as far as she’s concerned.” DRUG TRAFFICKING William Coates of Blyth pled guilty to a charge of possession with the intent to distribute. On January 20, Wingham Police officers were conducting surveillance on a home in Wingham and observed Coates exiting the home. He was stopped and eventually arrested and searched. He was found to be in possession of marijuana and some non-descriptive pills, said Federal Crown Attorney Mike Donnelly. The police travelled with Coates to his home in Blyth where 91 grams of marijuana were Continued from page 3 math. The student council met last week and with the help of the Grade 7/8 class, created the school’s annual Haunted House on Friday. The students in the senior class dressed up as all sorts of scary things. A cemetery, haunted campsite and other things you can’t imagine were made to frighten the students. As our weekly reminder, please bring in any pop cans to the school and drop them off at the office. Last week at Blyth Public School in Grade 2/3, students were investigating pumpkins. They have been using descriptive language to describe the pumpkins. Then they measured the width, height, circumference and mass and tested them for buoyancy. Using the seeds from the pumpkins, they counted in different increments. They even learned the lifecycle of pumpkins. Finally, the students got to carve them into jack-o-lanterns and take them home. Parents and guardians are encouraged to arrange an appointment time for parent-teacher interviews. Interviews will take place during the evening of Thursday, Nov. 4 and the morning of Friday, Nov. 5. Interview request forms were sent home with the report cards on Monday, Nov. 1. There will be a draw for the Grade 8 basket at the interviews. The school is getting ready for registration day for children who will start school in Sept. 2011 - (three year olds for Junior Kindergarten; four year olds for Senior Kindergarten). Registration day will be Friday, Nov. 12 and appointments are required. Parents should contact the school to arrange for an appointment time and an information package. A group of students from the senior class were selected to go to YAH! (Young, Active and Healthy). The students learned about co- operation and several new games to teach the younger students of Blyth Public School. The school still needs volunteers for its snack program. Students enjoyed the program last year and it would be great to have as many volunteers as possible. Continued from page 3 reading Jesus tells a parable that there was a judge in the city that had no fear of God or of anyone. A widow kept pleading with the judge and the unjust judge said that God would avenge his own and when the Son of God comes will He find faith on earth. We are fine as long as things are going well. When things go wrong we ask God for help. We should show our faith by acting in faith. There is still poverty in this world the same as in Jesus’ time. The federal government has a bill before it to get rid of child poverty in Canada. The choir favoured the congregation with the singing of the anthem, “Sing a Round of Praise.” The offering was received followed by the offering hymn and the offertory prayer. The next hymn, “Let There Be Light” was followed by the prayer for the world and the singing of the Lord’s Prayer. The last hymn, “O For a World” was followed by the commissioning and the benediction and the singing of the choral response, “Go Now In Peace”. Everyone was invited downstairs for lunch and a visit with Tom and his family. BLYTH PRINTING INC. BLYTH 523-9211 PRINTING IS OUR BUSINESS • Colour • Business Printing Forms • Posters • Brochures • Letterheads • Flyers • Envelopes • Carbonless • Business Forms Cards • Labels WE CAN DO IT ALL! Thank You to everyone who supported me at the polls on October 25th I will do my best to serve on your behalf. ~ Ray Hallahan Councillor - Twp. of North Huron Thank You to the voters in East Wawanosh Ward for your support at the polls on October 25. Please call me if you have any concerns. ~ Jim Campbell Guest speaker returns to church Program needs volunteers Blyth man gets 90 daysBy Shawn LoughlinThe Citizen Continued on page 17 page 16_page 16 10-11-02 12:44 PM Page 1