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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-11-10, Page 2MUFFITT appliances & television 111?) GODERICH PAGE 1--GODERICHSIGNAL-STAR. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10,1977 . Builenacquitthd after four-day trial into the seekud� LaneKcnle.,afj • Roan page 1 of them said 'he's got a gun, a real god damn gun'. ' GUN Bullen said he was holding the gun by the barrel since taking it from his son in the house. He turned it around in his hand and said, "Yes it is a real gun, get back." He stated he was backing up at the time and `thinks' the gun went off twice because he remembers seeing the flame and someone said 'those bullets are real'. Bullen testified that the two forms kept coming. at him and began taunting him to shoot while pointing out targets on their chests. In unison they said shoot, shoot and I must have waited too long because I remember a gun going off." he said." They turned and faced each other and took a few steps towards their car but one collapsed." Bullen estimated that the whole sequence was over in 15 seconds. Earlier in the trial Leroy DeJong had testified that Bullen fired the warning shots while they were backing oat of the driveway and -they -Then pulled the car back into the driveway thinking the gun was 'loaded with blanks' and to "throw a scare into Outten'.. The DeJongs were attempting to .get into a van parked on the Bullen property to get an apology from Greg Nielsen. Nielsen and three friends, Terry Heard. Paul Payne and Peter MacVean had locked themselves in the van after, the driver, Terrence Bullen Jr. ran into the house. LEAVE Bullen Jr. reappeared from the house at one point but was chased back in by Leroy. The next time he appeared his father was with him and Leroy claims that is when they decided to leave. "I ,didn't hear him say get off my property but we didn't wart any trouble." Leroy said. "We were not afraid of Bullen but we were leaving out of respect for the man." Leroy said he and his brother heard Bullen fire the warning shots as they backed out of the driveway and immediately pulled the car back in quickly to find out what was going on. Under cross examination by defense counsel Donnelly, Leroy said he and his brother came back into the driveway, after they had prepared to leave, to talk to Bullen and to see why he had pullea a gun. He said their first reaction was that the gun had blanks 'in i`anc`admitted that Ron wanted 'to throw a little scare into him', Leroy testified thathe did not recall Bullen pleading with them to get hack and ,he didn't back up a bit and he didn't appear to be frightened," Leroy said. In his statement to police after the shooting incident, Leroy. indicated that as he and his brother were backing out of the driveway `old man Bullen pulled a gun on us, there was a shot and we saw a spark but we thought he was funning us'. Leroy added that as they were walking towards Mr. Bullen in the driveway there was a five foot space between himself and his brother Ron and that they were approximately 10 to 15 feet away from Bullen when he fired at them. WALKING' He said theyfrwere not approaching him in a rushing._ manner as others had previously testified but claimed they proceeded in anorrnal walking fashion. He did, however, agree that there was a pause between shots fired by Mr. But as the Sullen van and DeJong vehicle •••••• Bullen indicating that: warning shots had been turned.. .. ItigAta4e fired. Bullen home the police cruiser, third in the Mary Bullen, wife of Terrence Bullen Sr., said procession, continued on Highway :1 she was asleep in the sunporch when she was Witnesses in the van testified they were at a awakened by noises. She realized it Was her loss as to what to do since the police had gone and husband and soil but was surprised because they were alone in the laneway. Heard said that Terrence Jr. was not expected home that night. Terry Sullen Jr. jumped out of the van and said "Terrence was agitated, ran downstairs, and I he 'would get a gun or something', and ran into told my husband to follow him," she said. "They the house. went downstairs and I followed them but stayed Heard, Nielsen, Payne and MacVean inside the house." .remained in the van and locked the doors as the She said she stood by the front door and heard DeJong's vehicle stopped in the laneway: The DeJongs approached the van and made attempts her husband yell 'get off the property, get the hell off the property`.. She then saw a car back out of the driveway, stop and come towards the van at a quick'speed. She was then concerned for her son's safety as the car approached him. Mrs. Bullen said at that point she retreated in the house to phone the police but by the time she could look up the number one of the boys had cone into the house and the incident was already over. Ambulance attendant Gary Renaud testified that he attended to the injured Leroy DeJong on May '.' . He said as they drove in the ambulance Leroy told him not to blame Bullen for what had happened because we are known as troublemakers'. The incident began shortly before 1 a.m. on May '_ = in the Bavarian Tavern south of Bayfield on Highway 1.1. TAVERN Terrence Bullen Jr., Terrence Heard and Greg Nielsen entered the tavern as two of their friends. Paul Payne and Peter MacVean slept in the van in the parking lot. The group passed the- DeJongs seated at a table near the tavern en- trance and words were exchanged. Leroy DeJong took exception to remarks made by Nielsen and asked for an apology. Nielsen refused and the group went inside and sat at another table. The DeJongs followed them over to the table still seeking an apology and testimony indicated that Ron was more insistent than Leroy in securing the apology. Nielsen, Terrence Bullen Jr., and Heard testified that Ron grabbed Nielsen by the nose, forced him backwards over his chai5 and then grabbed Bullen Jr. by the belt buckle and forced him over the shuffleboard. Erick Krohmer, proprietor of the Bavarian Tavern, intervened and ushered Bullen and Nielsen out an emergency rear exit to the van that Heard had pulled up to the door. The DeJongs also left the tavern and decided to follow the Bullen vehicle. Bullen testified that he and his friends thought at first they would hide from the DeJongs but disregarded that alternative. As they drove through the streets of Bayfield the DeJongs found the van and began following them. Driving down the Main Street of Bayfield they sighted a police cruiser which then began following the two vehicles. Terrence Bullen then drove in the direction of his home thinking the police would also follow the two vehicles there. Crown Attorney William Cochrane, in his summation to the jury; suggested that the situation was not as perilous as the witnesses indicated since on the sighting of the cruiser they did not stop and seek police protection. He pointed out the reason they did not do so was because there was beer in the Bullen van and they elected to drive home rather than face a charge. to get in. MacVean said he was also a friend of the DeJong brothers and sitting in the passenger side of the van, rolled the window down ap- proximately five inches to talk to them. "I rolled the window down to talk to them and calm them down Because I was their friend," he said. "I asked them what was wrong and they said they wanted Nielsen." MacVean added that when he rolled the window down Ron DeJong reached in with two hands and Leroy got one hand in the window in an attempt to open the door. The occupants of the van were successful in keeping the DeJongs from opening the door and managed to get the window rolled up. Terrence Bullen appeared from the house and Leroy then chased him back inside. Paul Payne, who had been sleeping in the van, woke up when the commotion started in the Bullen driveway. He said that one of the, DeJongs said they wanted Greg Nielsen to 'kick the hell out of him'. Terrence Bullen Jr., after being chased back into the house, went upstairs and got his father's gun from the torp drawer of his dresser while calling for his father to come and help. He remembered briefly explaining the situation to his father and the two went outside. The younger Bullen said his father told the DeJongs to get off his property and fired warning shots. SHOOT -The DeJongs were coming towards us and my father yelled at them to get back or he would shoot," he said. "They laughed and said go ahead shoot us and they were fairly close when he fired, maybe 3 to 5 feet away." He added that his father was pleading with the DeJongs to `get back' while he was retreating, almost to the point of stumbling into a pickup truck behind him. Bullen Jr. said he went over to see about Ron who was lying on the ground and Leroy,, who was also over the body, said he was going to leave. Bullen said he couldn't leave his brother there but Leroy got in his car. Terrence Jr. said he then covered the body with a blanket. Bullen Sr, testified that he went into the house, phoned for the police and an,ambulance and also phoned the DeJong residence although he was not sure to whom he talked. Constable William Hassall of the Goderich detachment of the OPP said Bullen Sr. delivered' a statement to police in a free and voluntary manner and was visibly shaken and showed signs of remorse. Hassall said he was sincere in his statement and seemed/to relive the events. In his summation to the jury defense counsel Donnelly said the DeJong brothers had -several opportunities to put a stop to the situation but suggested they were persistent in whatever they were up to. Goderich man buried in Maitland Ogler W. Yake of 17 Waterloo Street, South (upper floor) died on October 30 in Alexandra Marine and General Hospital tithe age of 75. He was born on January 15, 1.90 in York Township, Ontario to Caroline (Marling) and Willis Yake. He worked as a welder apprentice with CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS CLOTHIERS FOR MEN ON THE SQUARE PORT OF =ODER` H 40 Finest Selection of • The Brands • The Selection • The Sixes • The Styles • The Quality all at CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS SWEATERS SLACKS We have for you --- Westinghouse Company in Hamilton until retiring about ten years ago. During the Second World War, he served as a Gunner with the 11 -69th Field Bat- tery, nth Field Regiment, R.C.A. (ActiveC.A.S.F.). In 194:. he married Wilma Pitblado. Following the marriage he lived in Hamilton and Goderich. His wife predeceased him on July 1,1977 The late Mr. Yake was an adherent of The Salvation Army. He is survived by one son, Webster of Trenton, Nova Scotia; three daughters, Mrs. John --(Evelyn) Maclnnis of Goderich, Mrs. Gary (Muriel) Sitter of Victoria, British Columbia and Mrs. Anthony (Linda) Falcone of Woodbridge; one brother, Herbert Yake; three sisters, Goderich seniors to entertain The Golden Gate Senior Citizens club of Goderich will meet at MacKay Hall on Wednesday, November 16 at 7:30 p.m. At this time they will entertain the Clinton Senior Citizens. The Bradley Family of Clinton will provide the musical entertainment for the evening. Everyone is welcome. 1/ r ACT1ONW YOU BET: WESTERN FAIR RACEWAY Queen's Park London,Ontario RACING MON., WED., FRI., 7:30 P.M., SAT. 1:15 P.M. Mrs. Emerson (Edna) Racraft and Mrs. Corleen Williams, both of Hamilton and. Mrs. James (Gladys) McMurray of Burlington; and five grandchildren. Lieutenant and Mrs. Neil Watt of The Salvation Army conducted the funeral service at Stiles Funeral Home on Thursday, November 3 at 3 p.m. Interment was in the Veteran's Plot at the Maitland Cemetery, Goderich. Pallbearers were Bruce Betties, Cliff Bennett, David Pitblado and William Stiles. H.e.. told .the.: itteY.4hat_.th9: puX of t to triaLwas why the DeJong brothers came back into the Bullen laneway after they had reversed the car, presumably to leave. He added that when they came back into the laneway they came right at Bullen Sr. and relentlessly kept the pressure on because their intent was to get at Batten. TERROR Donnelly said Bullen Sr. described his frame of mind as 'terror and beyond' and as the DeJongs bore down on him he was forced to make a decision. "I suggest that Mr. Bullen acted in a fun• da mental motivation to defend himself," he said. "The DeJongs created a fuse of fear, ignited it and it blew up in their faces." Crown Attorney Cochrane told the jury that the crown position was that if Mr. Bullen was en- force elder inndoing so himself then nsedet He d said'that any transfer of terheror had come from his son Terrence toga' Bullen was not immediat lyinvs,''' added that the accused made what the disturbance was about anti) opportunity to calm down and takecont* situation. Cochrane said the jury would have attempts to harmmine the nans anyone De ty pY since attempt to get into the Bullen they suggested that if the intent was serif DeJong could have ripped out the vanes get at the four men who had locked than it. ' He told the five women and seven meit jury they had to determine if self deter justified and if so was excessiveforceuse First cheque for grandstand ' GUARANTEED INVESTMENT CERTIFICATES TO 9 1/2 Bruce Erskine 86 North St. 524-9555 SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LTD. WILL BE Closed 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 Friday, November 11 To allow staff to attend Remembrance -Day services L� Morris Draperies Has Moved to 36 West St. Due to extensive renovations, we have not been able to open for business this past week. Sorry to have inconvenienced our customers. Thanks for being so understan- ding. We will carry on the C.I.L. Paint Line. Fran & Jean Morris Goderich mayor Deb Shewfelt (right) and raising committee member Larry leffrey() look over fhe shoulder of Victoria and manager Al Weatherby as he makes outa$ cheque for the community grandstand Goderich The cheque was the firstdonatioa the rt".i, 111 drive to raise money to builda grandstand at Agriculture Park (staff photo) SANYO 26 INCH COLOR -TV CONSOLE 699°° • Solid State Chassis • Automatic Fine Tuning • Automatic Color & Tint • Automatic Brightness • Instant On • Walnut Cabinet • Castor Mounted SPECIAL ON AUTOMATIC DISHWASHERS STARTING AT $ 294 00 MOFFAT - KELVINATOR - ADMIRAL - WOOD'S - MAYTAG HOOVER 8 EUREKA VACUUM CLEANERS - RCA & SANYO TELEVISIONS 308 HURON RD.