Bleau given 125 days for maiming dog, two year driving suspension
The case of a Moosomin man originally facing assault and attempted murder charges has been resolved in Yorkton Court of King’s Bench.
Donald Bleau entered a guilty plea of maiming a dog, to which he was sentenced 125 days in jail.
With credit for pre-trial custody, that sentence was effectively time served.
On another count of impaired operation of a vehicle, Bleau faces a two-year driving prohibition. He also received a three-year conditional sentence on charges of dangerous operation of a vehicle; possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose; two counts mischief to property under $5,000; resisting arrest; and possession of a prohibited firearm.
The charges stem from an incident on Sept. 29, 2021 when Moosomin RCMP received multiple calls from the public of a truck being driven in a reckless manner around Moosomin. While police were responding to those calls, members were flagged down by someone stating they were assaulted by Bleau, explaining that Bleau had rammed the complainant’s vehicle with his truck before leaving the scene.
RCMP members observed Bleau’s truck outside Moosomin Towing and Auto Service where he reportedly exited the business and pointed a crossbow in the direction of attending officers.
According to police, Bleau then walked across the street towards a residence; shouting threats toward RCMP and Rob Austin, who had emerged from the dwelling.
“The male with the weapon then discharged it in the direction of the other adult male; he was not struck or injured,” RCMP said in a media release.
As a result of the discharged weapon, one arrow was found lodged in the wall of Rob and Maggie Austin’s home on the corner of Ellice and South Front Street. A second arrow struck the Austin’s dog, Sunny, who ran off with the object lodged in him. Fortunately, Sunny survived, having been found during the following day through search efforts involving dozens of volunteers. Veterinary assessment and care allowed Sunny to return home within days.
As for Bleau, he attempted to flee police after firing the crossbow.
“The male suspect got back into his truck, left and then drove back again to the same residence, damaging multiple vehicles and other property,” RCMP said. “The male drove towards one of the officers on scene. The officer was able to avoid being struck by the truck. The truck then crashed into a boulevard, disabling it.”
Bleau exited the truck and was arrested, himself and one of the officers sustaining “minor injuries.” The crossbow was then seized, and as a result of the investigation, Bleau’s initial charges included attempted murder, assault, assault with a weapon, assaulting a peace officer, and uttering threats.
After an appearance in Moosomin Provincial Court in February, 2022, Bleau was released into a 24-hour curfew on a Coronach area farm. He had previously been released on a $5,000 cash bail on Dec. 20, 2021, with an initial plan at that time to use electronic monitoring. Issues arose with regards to installing that system, hence the curfew order on the property of Rodney and Jackie Clark.
Ryan Kiedrowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The World-Spectator
