Judge denies man’s bid for bail

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This article was published 23/06/2023 (1177 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A 24-year-old man’s bail application was denied in a Brandon courtroom Thursday, just over a month after he allegedly took part in a violent home invasion.

Grand Rapids RCMP were called to a local residence May 14 after Ethan Hudson and another man reportedly showed up around 9:55 p.m. to settle a monetary dispute with one of the inhabitants.

However, the situation quickly devolved into violence, with Hudson and his companion allegedly drawing a handgun and a canister of bear spray, according to Crown attorney Sarah Kok.

After allegedly assaulting several of the inhabitants, including a minor, the pair drove away in a blue Dodge Caravan, although Hudson later surrendered to police on June 1.

Kok said Hudson’s case is particularly aggravating given his recent criminal history, which involves two similar incidents last year.

In the early morning of May 6, 2022, Hudson was one of six men who allegedly tried to break into another house in Grand Rapids, with this confrontation being triggered, once again, by a petty monetary dispute.

While the inhabitants managed to repel these home invaders from their property, at least one resident was sprayed directly in the face with bear mace.

This incident mirrors a similar situation in Brandon on March 5, 2022, when Hudson allegedly doused a crowd of people at Houstons Country Roadhouse with bear spray after he and his companions were kicked out for being disruptive.

“We have Mr. Hudson involved in a number of alleged incidents involving bear spray, knives and potentially a gun,” Kok said.

“All of these situations have occurred within a relatively short period of time, and every time Mr. Hudson is released on bail with limited conditions he is coming back before the court with more and more serious allegations.”

Defence attorney Jennifer Janssens argued that her client is a candidate for judicial interim release given that his criminal record contains no incidents of violence before the March 2022 incident at Houstons.

Janssens also told the court that there are several problems with the Crown’s case against Hudson.

For one thing, Janssens claims that her client was in Brandon and not Grand Rapids on May 14, which means he couldn’t have been involved in the most recent home invasion.

Because of this, Janssens presented a bail plan for Hudson that involves him residing at his home in Brandon while abiding by several restrictions, like not carrying bear spray under any circumstances.

However, Judge Patrick Sullivan was not swayed by Janssens’ arguments and ultimately sided with the Crown on this matter.

“What strikes me though, Mr. Hudson, is the repeated nature of these allegations. The presence of weapons in each allegation and the similarity,” the judge said in court Thursday.

“Having considered everything, I’m of the view that Mr. Hudson is not a manageable risk in the community, and I am not going to be granting bail.”

Hudson’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 13.

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