Kidnapping charge marks Sarnia woman’s third arrest at Kathleen and Walnut avenues

One of the three people charged with kidnapping and robbery following an alleged weekend abduction near Kathleen and Walnut avenues in Sarnia has been arrested three times this year in that same spot.

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A person was taken by force to a nearby apartment complex where they were restrained, assaulted and threatened with a handgun, police were told Friday. Officers found illegal drugs during a search of an apartment complex on Walnut Avenue on Saturday, police said.

Three people – Shane Robinson-Young, Ethan Hawke and April Rathmell – each are charged with kidnapping and robbery using a restricted or prohibited firearm, police said, among other charges. All three are being held in the Sarnia Jail while they put together bail plans.

This was the third time Rathmell, 43, was arrested in that area this year. She and two other men in their 40s all were charged with possessing drugs for trafficking and possessing property obtained by crime after officers searched a home in the 100 block of Walnut Avenue Jan. 10 and found about $11,500 worth of cocaine, police said at the time.

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Rathmell was arrested again in late March after a man was attacked with a baseball bat and a claw hammer during a fight over illegal drugs inside a Kathleen Avenue home near Walnut Avenue, police said at the time. The charges against all three accused in the January raid were dropped this past summer, but Rathmell is still facing charges linked to the March incident.

Robinson-Young, meanwhile, recently finished serving a four-month jail sentence for two counts of assault and single counts of uttering a death threat, possessing a prohibited weapon, and breaching bail. During the 31-year-old Sarnia man’s sentencing hearing in July, defense lawyer Autumn Johnson said Robinson-Young was sorry for his actions.

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“He is embarrassed and sorry for having that way,” she said.

She added her behavior was fueled by substances, but the longtime Sarnia resident had moved to London while out on lease and had been sober for some time.

“I take full responsibility for my previous actions. I’m just trying to move forward with my life,” he told the judge at the time. “Healthy and sober living now, I’m just looking forward to moving on.”

As the case concluded, Justice Mark Poland wished him luck in his quest for sobriety.

“That’s very commendable that you’ve taken that on, sir,” he said.

“I appreciate that,” Robinson-Young replied.

Robinson-Young, Rathmell and Hawke all made brief appearances in court Tuesday by video link from the Sarnia Jail. Rathmell’s cases were adjourned to Wednesday while Robinson-Young and Hawke will be back in court Friday. The new charges against them haven’t been tested in court.

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In addition to kidnapping and robbery using a restricted or prohibited firearm, Rathmell and Robinson-Young also are charged with assault, police said. A long list of additional charges was laid against Robinson-Young including unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, assault with a weapon, use of a firearm while committing an offense, knowledge of unauthorized possession of a firearm, careless use of a firearm, weapon, prohibited device or ammunition, uttering threats, pointing a firearm, drug possession for the purpose of trafficking and two counts of failing to comply with a probation order, police said.

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