Farm writer complies with bench warrant in sheep case

Friday, April 25, 2014

by JOE CALLAHAN

A slow-moving criminal court case connected to the disappearance two years ago of 31 sheep under quarantine at a Northumberland County farm took a tiny step forward this week when a judge at the Ontario Court of Justice in Cobourg cancelled a bench warrant against one of four people who have been charged.

On Wednesday, Judge Robert Graydon cancelled a bench warrant that had ordered Suzanne Atkinson to appear in court after Atkinson complied with the order.

It was the second warrant that had been issued to order Atkinson, a journalist, to appear in court.

Atkinson had failed to attend two previously scheduled hearings.

According to the ministry of the attorney general, “in circumstances where a person does not appear in court, the court may extend a courtesy by issuing a bench warrant ‘with discretion.’”

Atkinson, of Warkworth, Northumberland County, as well as Linda (Montana) Jones from Hastings, Northumberland County, Michael Schmidt from Durham, Grey County and Robert Pinnell from West Grey township, Grey County, face charges of conspiracy to commit obstruction of a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) officer, to transport or to cause to transport an animal under quarantine, and conspiracy to defraud the public of a service over $5,000 under the Criminal Code.

Jones is also charged with obstructing a CFIA inspector under the Health of Animals Act and Pinnell faces a further charge of attempting to obstruct justice and another for obstructing a police officer, both under the Criminal Code.

Atkinson declined to comment on the case.

Graydon scheduled the matter to June 17 in Cobourg, when Justice Lorne Chester is expected to rule on a conflict of interest motion filed by the Crown in connection with another aspect of the case. BF