PARRY SOUND - A 45-year-old man is spending the next couple months in jail for disobeying a court order.
West Parry Sound OPP caught Edmond Newton, 45, of Parry Sound, on April 28 drinking along the fitness trail with a group of other people, including a young woman the court pegged at age 15 or 16.
In December 2011, the Parry Sound court issued a probation order against Newton requiring he avoid having any association the young woman in connection with a conviction for invitation to sexual touching. Also, in December 2011, a different Ontario court put him on probation for a separate offence, requiring him to keep the peace and be of good behaviour.
In February, he was sentenced to 75 days in jail for attending the girl’s home with, the court heard, the mother’s permission.
This spring though, he was caught with her again, along with three other men, on the fitness trail with a bottle of vodka. Police had identified him, and were in the process of giving him a ticket when officers left on a foot chase of another member of the party who’d fled. When officers returned, all but Newton remained.
He was arrested soon afterward. Newton told the court he was there with friends when the young woman and other person arrived. Five minutes later the police also showed up, he said.
Newton told the judge he knew he was in the wrong for being near the young woman and should have left as soon as she arrived.
“No,” said Justice Lawrence Klein, continuing an analogy started earlier in the trial. “You shouldn’t ‘have left,’ you should have got on your horse and hightailed it out of there.”
As for leaving when asked by police to stay, he told the court he’d waited 20 minutes then headed toward home since he’d already identified himself.
Newton told the court he was taking steps to deal with alcoholism and planned to attend a treatment centre once out of jail.
He was sentenced to 75 days in custody, less nine days credit for the six days spent behind bars before the trial.
“Good luck to you,” said Klein. “I hope you do something when you get out.”