Eight months in jail for threatening to kill police officers

A man who threatened to kill two police officers and their families after they arrested him for an altercation over a used car sale was sentenced Wednesday to a total of eight months in jail.

Richard Robert Hannell still has 111 days left on that sentence after Chief Judge Nancy Orr gave him credit for time already spent in custody.

In provincial court in Charlottetown Wednesday, Hannell pleaded guilty to six charges, including criminal harassment, uttering threats and assaulting a police officer. Crown attorney Jeff MacDonald read from the agreed statement of facts, which detailed a string of incidents in March involving Hannell harassing a woman and her boyfriend who lived near him. Hannell repeatedly shouted at the two when he saw them in a nearby parking lot and called the woman a degrading name on numerous occasions. MacDonald said in May Hannell answered an online ad for a used Volkswagen Beetle, paid for it and ran into problems when he tried to register the car. He responded by going to Quartermaster Marine where the seller worked and where Hannell got into an altercation with several people.

The police arrested Hannell after he reportedly chased several people away with a chain in one of his hands and a knife in the other. MacDonald said the police struggled to get Hannell’s hands behind his back to handcuff him and eventually used pepper spray to subdue him.

After refusing to walk, the officers took Hannell to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital where he spit at one of them, but missed. MacDonald said while there, Hannell made numerous threats, including that he would kill the officers and their families.

On the way to the jail, Hannell referred to himself as a “killing machine” because of his military background. He also threatened to use a slingshot to shoot boats at Quartermaster Marine to create what he called an “insurance nightmare.”

The court received pre-sentence and psychiatric assessment reports on Hannell before the sentencing. Those reports showed Hannell had substance abuse and mental health issues, including exhibiting psychotic behaviour and grandiose delusions.

Along with the jail time, Hannell will be on probation for three years, during which time he must take whatever medications are prescribed to him. Hannell must also pay $800 in victim surcharges.