A Tyendinaga man accused of unprecedented drug and gun crimes has been denied bail.
A bail hearing for Matthew Boldrick took place on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, before Justice of the Peace Deanne Chapelle at the Ontario Court of Justice on Dundas Street in Napanee. Of the four Boldrick family members who were arrested in May of this year, Matthew is the only one to be denied bail.
Boldrick’s lawyer, Paolo Giancaterino, had trouble finding child care the morning of the bail hearing, causing the court to wait an hour before he arrived. Thus, not only was he late to court, but he was also a bit late to the game, asking for a publication ban more than three months after his client’s first court appearance on May 27, 2024.
These were just two more wobbles in what has become months of either disorganization or deliberate stalling by Giancaterino, who has sent student after student to represent his client before the courts, to the stated annoyance of the Crown and justices alike.
Chapelle ordered the publication ban under section 517 of the Criminal Code of Canada, which states that, on application by the accused or their counsel, before or at any time during the proceedings under that section, the judge will make an order “directing that the evidence taken, the information given or the representations made and the reasons, if any, given or to be given by the justice shall not be published in any document, or broadcast or transmitted in any way before such time as (a) if a preliminary inquiry is held, the accused in respect of whom the proceedings are held is discharged; or (b) if the accused in respect of whom the proceedings are held is tried or ordered to stand trial, the trial is ended.”
In other words, no more evidence, information, representations, or reasons may be published before Matthew Boldrick is either discharged or ordered to stand trial. At that time, the court might choose to lift the publication ban if it sees fit.
On May 24, 2024, police reported that a total of 508 charges under the Criminal Code of Canada and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act were laid against the four accused parties. These included:
- 100 counts of possession of a non-restricted or restricted firearm without a licence
- 100 counts of knowledge of an unauthorized possession of a restricted or prohibited firearm
- 68 counts of unauthorized possession of a loaded firearm
- Unauthorized possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle
- 68 counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
- 24 counts of possession of a firearm that was obtained by the commission of an offence
- Four counts of possession of a firearm for the purpose of trafficking
- 30 counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition contrary to prohibition order
- 21 counts of careless storage of a firearm
- 28 counts of possession of stolen property
- Tampering with a serial number
- Four counts of possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking – methamphetamine
- Four counts of possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking – cocaine
- Four counts of possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking – heroin
- Four counts of possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking – other drugs
- Four counts of possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking – other drugs
In a bail hearing for Boldrick’s parents in June 2024, Sergeant David Horowitz of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) called it the largest seizure of his career. Before this, the most he had seized were three handguns in a single search. This “significant seizure” of handguns was “unprecedented,” even during his time working in the Greater Toronto Area, he said.
“Very rarely [has a kilos-sized] seizure of drugs occurred in this community,” Horowitz stated at that time, noting that the drug evidence had been sent to Health Canada for analysis.
In a June 14, 2024, bail hearing for Matthew Boldrick’s younger brother, Joshua, Joshua’s lawyer, Brian Wilcock, relied heavily on an alleged confession made by Matthew Boldrick upon his arrest: “It boils down to a full confession, Your Worship, which is very important for this bail hearing… It’s quite a bit more lengthy than Joshua’s statement to police, but it’s a very important document.”
Crown attorney Michael Mandelcorn agreed then that, in principle, “Matthew took responsibility for all the items found… It’s not necessarily that the Crown agrees with that confession, but Matthew certainly made that statement when talking to Detective Sergeant Horowitz.”
Kingstonist will continue to report on this case as it makes it way through the courts.
