(HUNTSVILLE, ON) On August 30, 2014 Huntsville Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers were made aware of an assault that had taken place at a residence in the town of Huntsville.
Investigation found that on Thursday August 28, 2014 the victim was taken into a residence and forced to remain there until Friday August 29, 2014 for about 24 hours. In that time the victim was assaulted, threatened and was not allowed to leave. During that time the victim was taken to a local bank and forced to remove his money from the account.
As a result a search warrant was conducted on the residence where the accused John MERKEL (27yrs) of Huntsville was located. He has since been charged with Kidnapping, Robbery, Forcible Confinement, Assault and Breach of Probation under the Criminal Code of Canada. He faces further charges of possession of a controlled substance under the Controlled Drug Substances Act. The accused was remanded into custody and held for a bail hearing to return to the Ontario Court of Justice in Bracebridge on September 3, 2014 to answer to his charges.
