A 27-year-old man from Tetagouche-Nord who is at the origin of a long-term police operation which took place early last spring in the Bathurst region will have to serve a prison sentence of of 23 months.
Judge Eric Sonier of the Provincial Court in Bathurst accepted the arguments of the defense and the Crown and endorsed a common suggestion from both parties by imposing this sentence on the accused who had pleaded guilty in December to six different counts. of accusation.
Aaron Hudon-Lavigne was charged with failing to comply with a probation order, possessing a weapon while prohibited, discharging a firearm with intent, mischief, carrying firearm for a dangerous purpose, negligent use of a firearm and unauthorized possession of a firearm.
The events alleged against the accused date back to March 26, 2024 and took place in Tetagouche-Sud, a community located a few kilometers west of Bathurst.
That day, Aaron Hudon-Lavigne kept the police in suspense during a siege that began shortly after 6 a.m. and lasted nearly 15 hours.
The events began when members of the Chaleur Region RCMP Detachment went to a residence on Route 180 where a man had barricaded himself and was uttering threats with a firearm.
As a preventative measure, a large security perimeter was erected in the surrounding neighborhood in the presence of numerous police officers, including members of the Bathurst Police Force, the RCMP Response Tactical Group, the Situational Negotiation Team crisis and police dog services.
Police negotiated with the man for several hours before entering the residence and arresting him without further incident around 8:30 p.m.
A search of the residence resulted in the seizure of a loaded and unsecured hunting rifle, as well as a loaded and unsecured rifle.
In a summary of the facts presented in court, Crown lawyer Yves Duguay explained that the operation ended when the RCMP deployed an armored vehicle which rammed the residence and sprayed it with tear gas, making it possible to control the individual who had threatened during the day to end his life.
The prosecutor also indicated that the residence which was the scene of the incident had suffered serious damage caused by the individual and by the police intervention.
In rendering his sentence, Judge Sonier argued to the accused that the presence of firearms during the incident and the significant police deployment militated in favor of a sentence of incarceration.
However, he made himself happy in a certain way by imposing a prison sentence of less than two years, which will allow Aaron Hudon-Lavigne to avoid spending time in a federal penitentiary, which the accused greatly feared.
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