provided by the Ontario Provincial Police
Schools on lockdown after social media threat
Local schools were shuttered and a West Nipissing man was arrested and charged as the result of an OPP investigation on threats made over social media last week. According to an OPP news release, police began their investigation at 9:44 am on January 25th following a post on Facebook threatening “the next school shooting Canadian style.”
André Lavigne, 35 years-of-age, from West Nipissing, was charged with uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. He was held for Bail Court and was scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice on January 26th, in North Bay. He then remained in custody and had a follow-up bail hearing scheduled for January 31. It was not confirmed before press time if Lavigne was subsequently released.
Lavigne’s threatening post followed a previous post in which he wrote about trying to locate his missing dog. In his initial post, he called the North Bay and District Humane Society “thieves”, accusing them of taking the dog. In the post that caught the attention of police, Lavigne stated that “these people have no idea what I will do to get him back,” presumably referring to the Humane Society, and adding that he now had “nothing to lose.”
The nature of the threat caused Sturgeon Falls area schools to go on lockdown. Inside, classes went on as usual but no one could enter or leave the buildings. A message from the Conseil scolaire public du Nord-Est de l’Ontario on January 25 stated that their schools in Sturgeon Falls had implemented a security containment at the request of the police. Once the arrest was made later in the day, the lockdown ended and students were able to return home at their regular hour.
WN man charged for weapon offense, threats
On January 19, at 6:44 a.m., members from the Nipissing West Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a mischief complaint on Robichaud Road, Sturgeon Falls. A person was found damaging personal property with a blunt object and uttering threats to harm individuals.
As a result of the investigation, Kevin Robichaud, age 43, from West Nipissing was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose; uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm; and mischief to property.
The accused was held for bail court, then remanded back into custody and was scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice on January 23 in North Bay.
