Martin C. Barry, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
More than a year after the bus crash at a Sainte-Rose daycare in which two children were killed and a half-dozen others were seriously injured, the driver at the wheel has been ordered by a judge to undergo a trial.
Former Société de transport de Laval driver Pierre Ny St-Amand, who has undergone extensive psychiatric evaluation while in custody since the Feb. 8 2023 incident, is the key suspect. He faces multiple murder and aggravated assault charges.
The decision by Quebec Court judge François Landry on Thursday March 28 came after four days of testimony and legal arguments presented during a preliminary enquiry. St-Amand faces two charges of pre-meditated murder and a half-dozen more charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault.
The preliminary proceedings for the 52-year-old were taking place in Saint-Jérôme north of Laval because of a lack of courtroom space currently at the Palais de Justice de Laval.
The Montreal daily Le Devoir reported that a request by St-Amand’s lawyers that he be allowed to sit in court without handcuffs so he could write down notes was opposed by the head of security at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse, who said Saint-Amand’s behavior was known to be unpredictable.
Man leads LPD on wild chase through Laval driving backhoe
A man who allegedly stole a construction backhoe and led the Laval Police and the Sûreté du Québec on a chase through the City of Laval’s industrial sector was finally arrested after driving into a ravine in the district of Vimont.
At one point during the mid-afternoon incident recently, up to ten police cars could be seen pursuing the work vehicle, although quite slowly given the typically low road speed of backhoes.
The police were first alerted by a report that a backhoe driver was ignoring orders to stop while travelling along Route 335 south of Bois-des-Filion. The driver then reportedly collided with another vehicle, and was spotted some time after this by the SQ on the service road of Autoroute 440.
Still refusing to stop, the backhoe driver made his way along Industriel Blvd. and on Dagenais Blvd. Ouest, all the while going through red lights and stop signs without even slowing.
After driving into the rear yard of an industrial business on Dagenais, he tried driving into an adjacent wooded area, but stalled in a waterlogged ravine where he got out and fled on foot.
The LPD eventually caught up to the 42-year-old suspect, who was reportedly known to police. However, they had to stun him with a jolt from a Taser before he could be detained.
Although he was transported by ambulance to hospital as a precautionary measure, he was arraigned at the Palais de Justice de Laval on Saint-Martin Blvd. to face charges of dangerous driving, evading police, interfering with police, possession of stolen property and breaking court-imposed conditions.
As a footnote, the backhoe itself had first been reported stolen in Ottawa. There was no immediate explanation from police as to how it ended up in Laval.
Photo: A backhoe similar to the one involved in the chase and which came to a halt in a ravine in Vimont.
Recent raid in Laval nets major haul of meth, says RCMP
As part of an investigation that led to the seizure in Montreal of more than two million suspected methamphetamine tablets in late February, police from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) executed a search warrant at a Laval residence in mid-March, resulting in the discovery of an estimated 1,750,000 additional tablets of suspected methamphetamine.
According to a statement issued by the RCMP, the tablets were located in an unoccupied house in Laval suspected of having been used for the sole purpose of storing drugs.
The Laval raid followed a police operation which was executed in late February at a clandestine laboratory in the Borough of Saint-Laurent in Montreal, where more than two million suspected methamphetamine tablets were seized in a commercial space described by the RCMP as “likely used for synthetic drug production.”
Significant quantities of chemicals used in the production of illicit tablets, two pill presses and sophisticated equipment for large-scale production were also seized, said the force. An investigation, which began in December 2023, led to the arrest of five individuals.
They were interviewed by RCMP investigators and released pending further proceedings. They face charges under the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, including production and possession of controlled substances for the purpose of trafficking.
According to the RCMP, clandestine laboratories can be found in a variety of locations, such as homes, garages and warehouses.
The force notes that clandestine labs pose a great danger not only to those who operate them, but also to neighbors and first responders because of the toxic and potentially volatile nature of the chemicals and substances found there.
If you suspect illegal drug activity in your community, including clandestine labs, drug purchasing or toxic waste dumping, contact your local police service or Crime Stoppers (toll-free) at 1-800-711-1800.
Police seize $1 million in illegal drugs after raids in Laval, Montreal, Brossard
Warrants executed by police in Laval, Montreal and Brossard recently resulted in the arrest of three suspects and the seizure of close to $1 million worth of illegal narcotics.
Two men, aged 49 and 23 and a 45-year-old woman were arrested during the execution of search and seizure warrants at the suspects’ homes, in their vehicles and at a warehouse they allegedly rented.
Police said they seized 21 kilos of cocaine with a street value of around $525,000. As well, around 45,000 tablets of opioid were seized.
According to police, the pills contained metonitazene, a narcotic substance said to be 20 times more powerful than fentanyl and more conducive to poisonings and overdoses as a result.
The raids also resulted in the seizure of 36,000 benzodiazepine (tranquilizer) tablets, as well as amphetamine pills, methamphetamines and steroids, along with $175,000 in cash.