A person, against whom charges were dropped in what Sarnia police called a violent home invasion on Devine Street last summer, is back in custody on new charges.
A person, against whom charges were dropped in what Sarnia police called a violent home invasion on Devine Street last summer, is back in custody on new charges.
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Ronald Johnson, 35, was arrested May 21 and charged with impersonating his twin brother, Kyle Johnson, with intent to avoid arrest and two counts of breaching his release order, court records show. He briefly appeared in court Tuesday, by video link from the Sarnia Jail, and all of his outstanding charges – there are three cases in total – were adjourned to Friday.
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Johnson and his brother were two of four people charged with various offenses, including breaking and entering to commit an unspeakable offense, robbery, and assault causing bodily harm after four men broke into an apartment at 849 Devine St. on June 14, 2023, assaulted some occupants, and made off with a bike and a TV, police said at the time.
One occupant was treated at hospital. Police said it was a targeted incident among people who knew each other and there was no public safety risk.
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The Johnsons, Tyson Borden, 34, and Devin Porter, 22 – though Porter wasn’t arrested until he turned himself in two months later – were charged. But all charges against the brothers and Porter were dropped in recent months, with the Crown saying there was no reasonable prospect of conviction.
The court heard earlier this year about the issues with the Crown’s case after Borden pleaded guilty only to charges of carrying a weapon for a dangerous purpose and two counts of breaching a release order. Borden was seen on video surveillance June 14 receiving a hammer from a co-accused before going into the Devine Street apartment – and that was about it.
“There isn’t much to say really about what happened after that given the difficulties of the Crown’s case,” assistant Crown attorney Meaghan Jones told Justice Mark Poland at the time. “At some point again he left, police were called and he was charged.”
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“There was an intimidation factor that was happening going into the building, if that assists you,” defense lawyer Terry Brandon told Poland. “(My client) does not acknowledge other allegations.”
The other charges Borden was facing also were dropped. Both lawyers suggested six months house arrest with GPS tracking despite his prior record, which includes a 2020 assault conviction and a 30-day jail sentence in 2014 for theft, weapon possession and two court-order violations.
“A large part of the reason for this position, your honor, has to do with what I’ll call significant issues with the Crown’s case,” Jones said. “What the Crown had to go on here was very slim indeed.”
Poland agreed to impose the suggested sentence on Borden, which was also for the two release order breaches. Shortly after his release last summer, Borden was charged with contacting Ronald Johnson and for having a knife on him.
Ronald Johnson also picked up breach charges, but those were later dropped.
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