By Jenna Cocullo, Local Journalism Initiative
Two individuals charged and arrested with attempted murder appeared before the Chatham Court on Monday to discuss bail.
Three of five suspects tied to last Tuesday night’s shooting on Harvey Street in Chatham are in custody. Two people were taken to hospital after being shot, while a dog was killed. Police say a third person was shot at, but not hit in the confrontation.
The bail hearing of a 17-year-old Cambridge resident will be postponed as the Crown prepares to argue before the court as to why he should remain in custody. He first appeared in WASH (Weekend and Statutory Holiday) Court on Saturday.
“In WASH court on Saturday, the Crown took the position on the record that they are seeking the detention of (the accused). They are going to need to show cause because he is a youth,” Erec Rolfe, the lawyer for the accused told the court.
Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the name of the accused cannot be released to the public.
The show cause hearing will take place on Thursday.
Stephen Proudlove, counsel for Rylie DeJonge-Vandusen, 19, briefly spoke to the court on Monday to schedule a bail hearing for his client. The matter was set for Wednesday.
A third suspect, Brianna Gardiner, 18, was also arrested and appeared before court over the weekend. She was released pending a future court date for Feb. 26.
C-K cop bail hearing moved to Tuesday
A Chatham-Kent police officer also appeared in court briefly for a bail hearing after being arrested on Jan. 18 by members of the Windsor Police Service and charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
After spending two weeks searching for surety for bail, Const. Cristelle Vanden Enden reached out to the John Howard Society, a Canadian non-profit organization working in prison reform.
“The John Howard Society will be a surety for Ms. Vanden Enden, however, the Crown is not agreeing to the terms of the release, so we are at an impasse,” Norman Groot, counsel for Vanden Enden, told the court.
The case was adjourned to Tuesday while Vanden Enden’s counsel and the crown discuss the terms of her release.
