Image

Lambton man gets probation after giving ex a concussion

April 11, 2021

Alex Kurial/Local Journalism Initiative

A Lambton County man who plead guilty to a pair of assaults on his former partner has received 20 months probation as punishment.

This despite the Crown suggesting a harsher penalty was needed to address the behaviour in question.

Sarnia Court heard about two incidents that took place nearly a year apart at Cody Pietz’s Mar. 16 appearance.

The first recorded instance of abuse was July 2019 when the couple lived in Corunna. An argument at home led to Pietz putting his hand around his fiancée’s neck with enough force to cause breathing difficulty and leave red marks.

The woman didn’t report the incident at the time, later explaining she was scared.
By July 2020 the couple was living in Petrolia, but Pietz’s abusive behavior continued.

During an Independence Day fight the woman pulled out her phone to record Pietz. This angered him further, and while trying to grab the phone he ripped out some of her hair. Pietz then shoved the woman to the ground where she hit her head on a closet door.

The blow was bad enough to send the woman to the Petrolia hospital, where she was treated for concussion symptoms. Court heard she missed several weeks of work with the head injury.

“Given the fact that violence occurred in the context of an intimate partner relationship and that injuries were sustained… I’m of the view that something more than a period of probation is required in these circumstances,” says Crown Attorney Nila Mulpuru.
Mulpuru asked for a 30 day conditional sentence which Pietz could serve at home, followed by 18 months of probation.

But Justice Deborah Austin decided a suspended sentence with a lengthier probation was more appropriate.

“That in my view is a less complicated way of imposing a liberty restriction that is intended to be part of the consequence here,” she says.

A suspended sentence allows Pietz to be out of the house anytime aside from his curfew hours. The conditional sentence would have required him to be home at all times except for going to and from work.

Pietz is under an 8 pm to 6 am curfew for the first 45 days of his sentence. He’s also ordered to take counselling for intimate partner violence and must not contact and stay away from his ex-partner.

He’ll also be banned from possessing weapons, except he may continue hunting with a crossbow.

The Local Journalism Initiative supports the creation of original civic journalism that covers the diverse needs of underserved communities across Canada.

Share This

Image
Front Page

Temporary 402 fix likely to be done “later this week” MTO says

June 23, 2025

Heather Wright/The Independent Ministry of Transportation officials say it will take some time to fix the buckled concrete on the westbound lanes of Highway 402. Late last night, the OPP closed the road down saying the conditions were unsafe. An OPP post on social media said it appears the extreme heat was part of the problem. An unverified photo circulating

Read More

Image
Front Page

FROM LAMBTON PUBLIC HEALTH: Heat warning extended

June 23, 2025

FROM LAMBTON PUBLIC HEALTH With the hot and humid weather expected to continue throughTuesday, an Extended Heat Warning has been issued for Lambton County by theMedical Officer of Health, Dr. Karalyn Dueck.Extended Heat Warnings are issued when a heat warning continues beyond two days.This is also when vulnerable populations, including older adults, young children, peoplewith chronic illnesses, pregnant individuals, people

Read More

Image
Front Page

Cattlebarons win Dave Leach tournament

June 23, 2025

The Wyoming Cattlebarons bats were in full swing on Sunday winning pair of games and capturing the Dave Leach Memorial baseball tournament in Port Lambton. The Barons avenged an earlier tournament loss to Tecumseh with a 15-5 victory over the Thunder in the semi-finals and then bounced Chatham, 11-1 in the championship contest. In the semi-final, Daniel Gibson had four

Read More

Image
Front Page

Long line ups at Reeces Corners after 402 west bound closes

June 23, 2025

Good luck getting around all the road construction in Central Lambton in the next few weeks. Traffic is extremely heavy in Reeces Corners today as drivers are being diverted off Highway 402 between Oil Heritage Road and Mandaumin Road. Late last night, the OPP closed the road down saying the conditions were unsafe. An OPP post on social media said

Read More