Lambton OPP are investigating after the discovery of a body at Kettle and Stony Point Saturday.
Around 1:15 p.m., members from the Lambton County OPP officers, West Region Emergency Response Team and OPP Canine were assisting Anishinabek Police Service with a search when a body was discovered by police.
OPP Forensic Identification Services also attended the scene.
A post mortem Sunday determined it was a homicide. Investigators are still working to confirm identity of the victim.
Alex Kurial
Local Journalism Initiative
An argument over a “souped up muffler” means a Lambton County man will have to keep the peace to stay out of jail.
Derek Wilson, a roofer, was in Plympton-Wyoming when he got a call to a job on Egermont Road. While driving there, he went past a woman and her daughter into their driveway at a higher rate of speed than the woman thought was necessary.
The woman ended up arguing with Wilson.
“The dispute resulted in her yelling at Mr. Wilson as he drove by her at a fast speed, and then Mr. Wilson getting out of the car and a loud argument ensuing afterward, which caused [the woman] to fear for her safety,” says Crown attorney David Nicol.
Wilson’s car has a “souped-up muffler” according to defense lawyer Robert McFadden, which he says may have caused the woman concern.
But the court heard Wilson say he didn’t believe this. “It was kind of a he-said, she-said. It was me and her and my buddy and her daughter, so we’re the only ones who know what happened,” says Wilson. “I don’t think she was scared. I don’t think she was scared at all.”
The judge said that it didn’t matter what Wilson thought. “It’s not important necessarily what she felt, but it’s the circumstances that give rise to the Crown’s position that she had a reasonable fear for her safety,” says Justice Krista Leszczynski.
Wilson’s agreement to the peace bond means a criminal charge of assault was dropped. He will have to keep good behavior, stay away from the woman and the house.
A bid by Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley to have Lambton County councillors reconsider a mandatory mask bylaw has fallen flat.
In July, Bradley brought the issue to council as another measure to stop the spread of COVID-19 as ore businesses open up. It was defeated 13-4 with many municipal leaders saying it should be up to each municipality to decide. Others pointed out that Lambton’s medical officer of health had not recommended the move yet, saying there is not wide community transmission of the COVID-19 virus in the area.
Bradley returned to Sarnia, where councillors there agreed to a mandatory bylaw. It went into effect Friday.
The mayor also sent out an email to county councillors, which was also forwarded to local media, asking if anyone was willing to reconsider the issue. By Friday night, only one mayor said he would be in favour of looking at the move.
Enniskillen Township Mayor and Deputy Warden Kevin Marriott said Thursday that nothing had changed to change his mind about a mandatory mask bylaw. “Dr. (Sudit) Ranade says at this point he sees no reason to make it mandatory…If he came out tomorrow and changed his mind, I would say ‘yes, let’s reconsider.'”
Warwick Mayor Jackie Rombouts, who was attacked on social media after saying she didn’t support mandatory masking during the July county council meeting, says she will not vote for a mandatory mask bylaw.
“I would be perfectly happy being the only municipality in all of Canada not making people wear masks,” she says people should be free to make their own choice. Rombouts says she wears a mask, particularly in businesses like grocery stores where employees must wear the protective gear.
But Rombouts says 90 per cent of her decision not to pass a county-wide bylaw has been the fact the local medical officer of health is not recommending mandatory masking.
“He is the one we are supposed to be listening to as a council,” she says.
And Rombouts is furious that Sarnia’s mayor continues to push the issue and says Bradley has attacked her personally for her stand.
Sources say Sarnia’s mayor shouted down Rombouts during a weekly video conference meeting with Lambton County leaders and public health officials recently. He’s also been on local radio talking about his frustration that the county bylaw didn’t pass.
“Mike Bradley has been quite frankly bullying me and quite frankly every other councillor saying there is going to blood on our hands and we will live to regret it – like, come on Mike.”
In Petrolia, town council will consider whether to pass a mandatory mask bylaw on Aug. 10.
In Plympton-Wyoming, Mayor Lonny Napper says the issue has not come up yet but he would be infavour of the move.
St. Clair Township Mayor Steve Arnold doesn’t see a need to revisit the idea at the county level, but he says St. Clair is looking into the possibility. And he says the township has encouraged businesses to implement their own rules if they think it is best.
“One of the things I have told folks is that any business can post the requirement for anyone entering their business to wear a mask if they want. Any bylaws I have read put the responsibility on the business owner to enforce mask wearing if there is a bylaw anyway or they get charged.”
Arnold adds Lambton Warden Bill Weber has written a letter to Premier Doug Ford suggesting the mandatory mask regulations should be passed by the province. He’s yet to hear a response to the letter.
A 42 year-old from Brampton has died in the waters of Lake Huron.
Lambton OPP were called to Grand Bend’s main beach around 11:30 am Saturday for a possible drowning.
Lifeguards on duty pulled someone from the water and paramedics took the victim to hospital.
Police are still investigating and have not released the victim’s name yet.
