Paige Desmond
Jessica George
A 20-hour standoff on Couchiching ended peacefully early yesterday afternoon with the arrest of a man who had barricaded himself in his home on the 5-Mile Dock Road.
Theodore Bruyere, 51, of Couchiching was charged with three counts of assault and possession of a firearm while prohibited.
He was remanded into custody pending a show cause hearing, police said.
“During the initial stages of the police investigation, police identified the male suspect was inside his residence,” Fort Frances OPP Cst. Anne McCoy noted in a press release.
“Once contact was made with the male, [he] surrendered to police without incident and the investigation is continuing,” she added.
Treaty #3 Police, wearing army green clothing and with camouflaged faces, could be seen leaving the scene around 1 p.m. following the departure of a police convoy.
Neighbouring residents, who reported seeing a helicopter flying over the area beginning around 4 p.m. on Monday, watched the drama unfold.
“I haven’t heard nothing,” said one resident as police left the scene.
He added rumours were flying about the what was going on, but that no one local knew for sure.
Another resident said it was quite the show Monday evening as police cordoned off the area.
“It must have cost somebody a lot of money to bring all that in here,” he said of the helicopter, officers, and police dogs, which all were present at different times during the standoff.
“The primary object for police during the investigation was the safe apprehension of the suspect,” the press release stated.
“Treaty #3 Police would like to thank any residents of Couchiching First Nations who were inconvenienced during the incident,” it added.
The Northwest Region OPP Emergency Response Team and Northwest Region OPP Crime Unit also were on the scene to assist Treaty #3 Police.
