A Chatham-Kent man was supposed to be released from jail in September following a 2019 knifepoint robbery at a Stratford ATMbut a trio of convictions in Sarnia will extend his stay behind bars until at least October.
Joseph Bonneau, a 35-year-old Tilbury resident, was sentenced to two years this past fall for fleeing from a Festival City bank with $280 in late December 2019. Wearing a balaclava and holding a six-inch steel blade to a 60-year -old man’s abdomen, Bonneau initially demanded $400 but the senior said he didn’t have that much available.
Bonneau was released on a recognition about 11 months later, which included orders to live under house arrest at his parents’ home in the Chatham area, but he was violating that order when he was pulled over in downtown Sarnia on June 15, 2021.
A caller complained about a white Jeep Compass driving erratically that Tuesday afternoon that was quickly located by a Sarnia officer near police headquarters. Following a brief slow-speed pursuit into a nearby apartment building parking lot, Bonneau was “trembling” as he “nervously” reached for the glove compartment area.
Multiple answers to questions about his poor driving “did not make logical sense” and concerned the officer. Bonneau also still had his foot on the brake, despite being asked multiple times to put the Jeep in park.
“It took some time for Mr. Bonneau to realize the vehicle was not in park and was still in drive,” assistant Crown attorney David Nicol said while reading an agreed statement of facts.
He finally admitted he didn’t have a driver’s licence, so was arrested for that and for violating his house-arrest order. The officer found a half-burnt marijuana cigarette in the SUV and a capped syringe on the floor in the back beside a large spoon. It had a purple liquid inside and a nearby baggie had two “sizeable” chunks of fentanyl weighing 1.2 grams in total.
Bonneau, who turns 36 next week, pleaded guilty over Zoom from the Sarnia Jail to three charges: impaired driving, failing to comply with a release order, and possession of fentanyl. He was given 30 days for each violation to be served concurrently – but after his Stratford sentence.
Sarnia defense lawyer Luigi Perzia said his client has battled a drug addiction for the past 15 years after being honorably discharged from the military.
A Stratford court previously heard Bonneau was discharged at age 23. He lost “many” friends over his four-year career and turned to opioids to suppress his negative thoughts. While he managed to get clean after a previous stint in prison, he relapsed in 2019 after being introduced to fentanyl by a friend.
Bonneau told the Sarnia judge he’s made “leaps and bounds” with his addiction at times, but then regresses.
“I’m trying,” he said. “I’m hoping I’ll get there someday.”
“We offer that same hope for you,” Justice Anne McFadyen responded.
He’ll be on a three-year probation order aimed at helping him deal with the issue after he’s finished serving both sentences. Bonneau is also banned from driving for one year.
Other charges were withdrawn.
-with files from Galen Simmons