Multiple ‘serious’ intimate partner violence charges laid in Ottawa Valley
Posted Jan 22, 2025 03:04:21 PM.
Last Updated Jan 22, 2025 03:06:24 PM.
Within two days, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) from the Upper Ottawa Valley detachment laid multiple charges against people in intimate partner violence cases.
“Serious” charges were given to a 37-year-old from Madawaska Valley Township on Jan. 16 after police responded to a domestic dispute in progress at a home. Officers found that threats had been made and an edged weapon and imitation gun were shown to the victim.
Police found the person at the home and took a pellet pistol. There were no serious injuries, the release reads.
The 37-year-old was charged with:
- Uttering threats to damage property
- Assault with a weapon
- Possession of an imitation weapon for a dangerous purpose
- Operation while impaired – alcohol
They are scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Pembroke.
Days later, police charged another person after an intimate partner violence call.
It happened the afternoon of Jan. 18 when police went to a home in Bonnechere Valley Township. Once there, they found that one person had a gun contrary to a court order.
Officers took the unused firearm and the person was arrested at the scene. As a result the 48-year-old was charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm.
Large land mass being policed
Last year, multiple press release from OPP Upper Ottawa Valley (UOV) laid out how many intimate partner violence cases they respond to in a week.
From Nov. 12 to 18, police responded to 28 domestic disputes. A press release from police dated Nov. 14 noted that the week of Nov. 1 to 7 saw 30 cases of domestic disputes. A similar statistic was shared by police from Sept. 23 to 27 with 29 cases investigated.
Although the numbers are concerning, Provincial Constable Shawn Peever with UOV, said they need to be taken with context. In September the UOV detachment amalgamated with the Killaloe detachment, making the area the largest land mass to police in eastern Ontario.
“It’s an issue here, and it’s an issue in the province, it’s an issue in our country,” Peever said of intimate partner violence.
Reports of intimate partner violence are on the rise across the province, the number of reported cases rising by 40 per cent between 2014 and 2022, according to StatCan.
