Colborne resident hid CAS runaway
Posted 2 days ago

A 44-year-old Colborne resident will serve 14 days in jail for hiding a 14-year-old runaway ward of the Children's Aid Society of Northumberland from both police and children's aid workers last year.

The accused, who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the girl, pleaded guilty Aug. 18 to obstructing a peace officer. His sentence came Oct. 20 in the Ontario Court of Justice in Cobourg.

As Crown attorney Brad Kelneck said in August, the trouble arose from the fact that the man's under-age son was dating the girl. She was reported missing in January, and police believed she had moved into the accused's home.

Twelve officers and three CAS workers appeared there to execute a warrant, but the man said his son had just left -- though police noted no footprints in the snow.

Police returned March 13 and were initially refused entry. He said he had heard from the couple, and they were fine -- staying with friends, but he didn't know where.

Police eventually entered and found the two young people.

"It was not an appropriate place of residence for a 14-year-old child," Mr. Kelneck said.

"There was only one bedroom. The coffee table was covered with empty beer cans. There was a mattress with no sheets in the living room. The bedroom apparently belonged to the son, and there was evidence of drug and alcohol use. There were 150 cigarette butts on the floor, and the sheets were filthy."

Mr. Kelneck denounced the accused's attitude that he could play games with the authorities.

"Police were there on numerous occasions with a warrant, and he knew full well she was a missing person. He knew there was an order in place concerning her, and he chose not to co-operate.

"A large number of man hours were expended by the CAS and police. Even with the warrant, he lied about where her location was.

"Even if the home were a better environment, she seemed to be sharing a bed with the son, who was significantly into alcohol and drugs."

Justice Robert Graydon adjourned sentencing to Oct. 6 to permit a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

"I didn't agree with the relationship, right from the beginning," the accused stated at his sentencing. "I just want to apologize to the court -- it was a bad decision, and it won't happen again."

Justice Graydon was at a loss why it happened the first time, given the man's very clear duty to ensure the young girl was safe and to co-operate with the efforts of publicly funded agencies to ensure that she would be.

"The living environment for that young girl can only be described as squalid," he declared.

Justice Graydon put the accused on an 18- month probation order, conditions of which include abstaining from alcohol and illicit drugs, as well as having no contact with the 14-year-old girl.

He also agreed that the accused could serve his time intermittently in order to keep his job.

"While you are doing your time, think about this," he added -- "If your son were missing, and you were concerned about where he was, and somebody you knew was hiding him and not telling anybody, you would be a little annoyed. That's why you get 14 days. You owe it to the community to step up."