One person has been cleared of all charges following an altercation in an east Sarnia motel allegedly involving firearms, but the Crown is still prosecuting four other people.
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Hayley Letourneau, 31, was one of five people facing charges of unauthorized possession of a firearm, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, uttering threats, and forcible confinement following the Feb. 29 incident at the Bluewater Motel, Sarnia police said.
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But that changed during a recent court appearance.
“The Crown is seeking to withdraw her charges only,” said Gillian Turvey, an article student with the Lambton Crown attorney’s office.
“All four counts against Ms. Letourneau can be marked as withdrawn at the request of the Crown,” justice of the peace Peter Byskal responded.
Turvey did not say why they wanted the charges against Letourneau dropped, but she did say they’re still prosecuting the others.
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“The co-accused are – we are still proceeding with their charges,” she said.
Chantelle McManus, 38, who was in court the same day as Letourneau, had her case adjourned to Wednesday. Samuel Jacobs-Bressette, 30, will be back in court Thursday; Dennis Joseph, 52, on April 25; and Nathan Adams, 32, on May 16. The charges against them haven’t been tested in court.
The accused were all granted lease at some point between March 1 and March 22, but were banned from weapons, contacting each other, or going back to the London Line motel except for one time to collect their belongings.
Sarnia police bonded residents on social media around noon Feb. 29 there would be an increased officer presence around the building. They included a photo of an officer escorting a person, who was blurred out, into custody.
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Police later added they were called by a man who had been involved in a disturbance in one of the units, which included allegations of threats and possible weapons involved. No injuries were reported and no shots fired, but they noted it was a complex investigation.
The active part of the probe wrapped up by 7 pm that night, but officers were still expected to be on site the next day, police said.
This was one of three major Sarnia police probes at the Bluewater Motel this year. Four suspects were charged amid a robbery invasion in January where two people were held against their will, police said, and a Windsor man is facing 21 charges after a suspect was found there in mid-March in body armor with a hidden, loaded handgun and $34,000 in drugs.
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