Probation for arson conviction

A Port Colborne senior who set the family home ablaze after the break down of his 40-plus year marriage has been placed on probation for three years. Johanes Bliek, 66, appeared in an Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines on Tuesday for sentencing on a charge of arson which assistant Crown attorney Sylvia Clermont said “divided the family completely.” Fire crews were called to a home on Pinecrest Road in the city’s east end in August 2016. An investigation by the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office determined the blaze, which caused an estimated $200,000 damage, had been deliberately set. Defence counsel Kim Vanderlee said her client was suffering from an undiagnosed mental illness at the time of the fire. She said the incident “blew the whole family out of the water.” “It’s a very sad situation,” she said, adding Bliek is now estranged from several members of his family including his spouse and grandchildren. He also has to contend with a $19,000 bill he received from the Port Colborne Fire Department. Judge Tory Colvin said the crime was “another example of mental illness overlapping into the criminal courts.” While a conviction for arson “normally attracts a period of incarceration,” the judge said the fact he was suffering from an undiagnosed mental illness at the time of the offence must be taken into consideration at sentencing. In addition to probation for three years, Bliek was ordered not to have any firearms in his possession for 10 years.

Fine for gun-carrying border traveler

A U.S. man who travelled across the Rainbow Bridge with three loaded guns has learned the hard way that he better heed the advice of border guards. Wilber Williamson pleaded guilty in absentia in an Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines on Tuesday to a charge of making a false statement under the Canada Customs Act. Court heard the defendant crossed the bridge Aug. 12, 2006 and was asked by a Canada Border Services Agency official if he had any firearms to declare. Williamson said he wasn’t carrying any guns at which time the border guard told him he could store his weapons at the border and retrieve them upon his return to the U.S. Again, the defendant said he wasn’t carrying any guns. At secondary inspection, however, officials discovered three loaded guns including a .38 special revolver. Federal prosecutor Darren Anger asked Judge Tory Colvin to consider imposing a sentence of three to four months behind bars. Defence counsel Michael Delgobbo said a fine was a more appropriate sentence, adding his client is a respected businessman in Georgia and has a licence to carry firearms in the U.S. The judge imposed a $5,000 fine. Colvin noted that, although carrying guns is a relatively common practice in the U.S., especially in the southern states, “it is not our way up here by any stretch of the imagination.”

Sunday hunting to be legal in Thorold

Sunday hunting will be allowed in Thorold. The provision to be included in a bylaw coming forward to city council in May, is just the first step in setting a new hunting and fishing regulation for the municipality. Thorold will join more than 174 municipalities across Ontario in permitting Sunday hunting.

Teen charged with sexually assaulting eight-year-old

A 16-year-old St. Catharines male has been charged with sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl, police say. On Monday at about 3:30 p.m. Niagara Regional Police officers were called to a housing complex in the area of Welland Avenue and Cushman Road in St. Catharines after receiving a report that a sexual assault had just occurred. Officers, including detectives for the child abuse unit, started investigating an allegation a 16-year-old who resided in the area sexually assaulted the child. Police in a media release say it is believed the victim was targeted. Officers located and arrested the suspect, who has been charged with two counts of sexual assault, two counts of sexual interference and failure to comply with a probation order. The suspect had a bail hearing Tuesday at the Robert S. K. Welch Courthouse in St. Catharines. The suspect’s name cannot be released due to the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The investigation is ongoing by detectives from the child abuse unit. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 905-6884111 ext. 5100.