A Sarnia man charged with a stabbing at a local homeless shelter recently finished serving a three-month jail sentence for an incident where he threatened a pastor with a knife outside of his church.
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Drew Reaume, 24, of Sarnia was charged following a March 23 incident at the River City Vineyard, where a 51-year-old man was stabbed multiple times, police said. The man, identified by court records as Mark Chadwick, was taken to hospital shortly after midnight for treatment of serious, but not life-threatening, injuries, police said.
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Reaume is facing charges of assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, and failing to comply with a probation order and was held pending a bail hearing, police said.
Just over two months ago, Reaume pleaded guilty to multiple charges including assault while threatening to use a knife, uttering a threat to cause bodily harm, mischief worth less than $5,000, and breaching probation. He received a 90-day sentence.
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The court at the time heard Reaume, who is homeless, was sleeping outside the Bluewater Church – Wellington Campus one morning last fall when lead pastor Tim Cressman asked him to leave after noticing a knife on the ground next to him. Reaume stood up, grabbed the knife and held it at his side.
“And threatened to cut Mr. Cressman,” assistant Crown attorney Meaghan Jones said while reading an agreed statement of facts.
Cressman headed inside the church and closed the door to protect himself. Reaume threatened to break down the door before leaving the area, the court heard.
An agitated Reaume was arrested soon after in the area and threw the knife to the ground. Police also found a box cutter in his coat pocket.
Jones pointed out to the judge simple altercations can turn lethal when a knife gets involved.
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“It’s a point of concern for our office and also our city,” she said.
Jones also noted Reaume has consistently been convicted of crimes since 2021.
Defense lawyer Terry Brandon explained her client has wellness issues including Asperger’s Syndrome and ADHD.
“He’s not even sure of all his labels,” she said.
Brandon recalled visiting Reaume in jail last fall after the incident involving Cressman. He couldn’t stop crying while discussing his behavior, she said.
Both lawyers suggested the 90-day sentence Justice Gregory Campbell agreed to impose. After getting credit for pre-plea custody, Reaume only had about two weeks left to serve at the time. He was also sentenced to one year of probation banning him from contacting the pastor or going back to the church and he was banned from weapons for 10 years.
Reaume appeared briefly in court Wednesday through a video link from the Sarnia Jail, where the new case was adjourned to April 12. Those charges haven’t been tested in court.
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