Latest news with #RobertMcFadden
National Post
3 days ago
- General
- National Post
American arrested for impaired driving at Blue Water Bridge refuses to return to Canada to 'face the music'
A Michigan man charged with impaired driving at the Blue Water Bridge was supposed to plead guilty this week in a Sarnia courtroom, but has instead refused to return to Canada to face the music, his lawyer says. Article content Article content As a result, a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Article content Canada Border Services Agency officers called Lambton OPP on July 27 around 8 p.m. about a suspected impaired driver on their side of the twin-span bridge connecting Michigan and Ontario, police said in a statement last summer. Article content Article content Christopher Wypych, 61, from Fort Gratiot, Mich., was charged with impaired driving. His licence was suspended for 90 days, his vehicle impounded, and he was released with a court date in September in Sarnia. Article content Article content The case has been adjourned multiple times since then, with a guilty plea finally scheduled for Wednesday. But when the date arrived, Wypych's lawyer, Robert McFadden, told the judge his client changed his mind and decided not to come to Canada. Article content Court staff called out Wypych's name over the public address system to ensure he wasn't somewhere in the Christina Street North building. Article content 'A warrant's appropriate in the circumstances. Mr. Wypych is not here. He hasn't responded yet to the page. He's under an obligation to be here. A warrant will be issued for his arrest,' Hornblower said. Article content Lambton OPP have issued five statements about similar incidents at the Blue Water Bridge during the past year, four of them involving U.S. residents. One of them, a 35-year-old man from Harrison Township, Mich., who took a wrong turn and mistakenly drove up to Canadian customs at the Blue Water Bridge while double the limit, recently got a $2,000 fine, a one-year driving ban in Canada, and a tongue-lashing from a Sarnia judge. Article content
National Post
3 days ago
- General
- National Post
U.S. driver arrested for impaired at Blue Water Bridge refuses to return to Canada to 'face the music'
A Michigan man charged with impaired driving at the Blue Water Bridge was supposed to plead guilty this week in a Sarnia courtroom, but has instead refused to return to Canada to face the music, his lawyer says. Article content Article content As a result, a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Article content Canada Border Services Agency officers called Lambton OPP on July 27 around 8 p.m. about a suspected impaired driver on their side of the twin-span bridge connecting Michigan and Ontario, police said in a statement last summer. Article content Article content Christopher Wypych, 61, from Fort Gratiot, Mich., was charged with impaired driving. His licence was suspended for 90 days, his vehicle impounded, and he was released with a court date in September in Sarnia. Article content Article content The case has been adjourned multiple times since then, with a guilty plea finally scheduled for Wednesday. But when the date arrived, Wypych's lawyer, Robert McFadden, told the judge his client changed his mind and decided not to come to Canada. Article content Court staff called out Wypych's name over the public address system to ensure he wasn't somewhere in the Christina Street North building. Article content 'A warrant's appropriate in the circumstances. Mr. Wypych is not here. He hasn't responded yet to the page. He's under an obligation to be here. A warrant will be issued for his arrest,' Hornblower said. Article content Lambton OPP have issued five statements about similar incidents at the Blue Water Bridge during the past year, four of them involving U.S. residents. One of them, a 35-year-old man from Harrison Township, Mich., who took a wrong turn and mistakenly drove up to Canadian customs at the Blue Water Bridge while double the limit, recently got a $2,000 fine, a one-year driving ban in Canada, and a tongue-lashing from a Sarnia judge. Article content
National Post
17-05-2025
- National Post
Ontario woman jailed for biting grocery store security officer
Article content A Sarnia woman has been jailed for thefts from local stores and biting a loss-prevention officer. Article content Article content 'Biting is gross. It leads to infection,' assistant Crown attorney Michael Donald said as Jerica Trowbridge was being sentenced last week to three months in jail after pleading guilty to theft and assault causing bodily harm. 'Ms. Trowbridge assaulted her in a very significant way.' Article content Article content 'Biting someone is vile,' Justice Krista Lynn Leszczynski agreed. 'It's concerning, I certainly imagine, for the victim.' Article content Article content The incident took place at the Exmouth Street No Frills, where the officer confronted Trowbridge, 30, after items went missing from her cart after a trip to the washroom, court heard. She also took items without paying from a gas station and stole liquor five times from the Quinn Drive LCBO. Article content Trowbridge made the Sarnia police wanted list last summer after the LCBO thefts. Article content Defence lawyer Robert McFadden said the underlying motive is an addiction to opioids. He recalled she was in terrible shape two months ago when she ended up in custody. Article content 'I don't think she could have told us what day of the week it was at that particular time, or the month or the year,' he said. 'The drugs were just consuming every moment of her day.' Article content But she's been on an opioid replacement therapy medication in jail and looks much better, he added. Article content 'She's clean right now,' he said. Article content She went back to the same store five times to steal and getting caught wasn't a deterrent, Donald said. 'The addiction is more important.' Article content Trowbridge apologized and said if she could go back in time, she'd change things. 'I can't. But I can change things for tomorrow.' Article content 'That's an important thing to keep in mind, Ms. Trowbridge,' Leszczynski said, while encouraging her to stop taking drugs after her release. Article content
