(COCHRANE, ON) – On November 15, 2013, the Cochrane Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) laid 14 Controlled Drugs and Substance Act (CDSA), weapons related and Possession of property obtained by crime charges against two Cochrane men.
The police investigation stemmed from a call received in the early morning hours of November 9, 2013, where the Cochrane OPP was informed of the possible discharge of a firearm at a residence on 10th Avenue in Cochrane.
Further police investigation revealed that the owner of the suspect residence had fired a shotgun in the direction of another person during an altercation and furthermore was not in the lawful possession of that firearm.
At approximately 6:00 a.m. on November 15, 2013, the OPP Tactics and Rescue Unit (TRU), assisted by Cochrane OPP officers entered the suspect residence on 10th Avenue in Cochrane and executed a Search Warrant.
During the search, police arrested two males located within the residence and retrieved the involved firearm used in the November 9, 2013 firearm incident.
Further investigation and the execution of a second search warrant resulted in the seizure of two pounds of Cannabis Marihuana, 41 grams of Cannabis resin and 322 Methamphetamine pills, estimated at a street value of nearly $22,000. In addition, $2,040 in Canadian currency was seized during the search.
The accused male Pascal LESSARD, 25, of Cochrane, Ontario has been arrested and charged with four counts pursuant to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, five counts of firearms related offences and one count of Possession of property obtained by crime, contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada. Patrick BLAIS, 24, also of Cochrane has been arrested and charged with three counts pursuant to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and one count of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime, contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada.
The two accused males were taken into police custody for a bail hearing scheduled for November 18, 2013 at the Provincial Court in Cochrane and have since been released. Both have been scheduled to appear at the Court of Justice in Cochrane to answer to their charges at a later date.