Watford man cries with joy as drug charge dropped

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Brendon Bolduc began crying while standing in the prisoner's box in the Sarnia courtroom.

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But in rare cases, they were tears of joy.

Justice of the Peace Helen Gale was in the process of making her decision Tuesday afternoon on whether he would be granted bail when federal prosecutor Brian Higgins interrupted her with some breaking news.

“I received a test about 15 minutes ago and confirmed with police that it related to the 52 grams seized – it was baking soda, so this charge can be marked as withdrawn,” he told Gale. “I'm sorry for barging in, but I just received the scan.”

Bolduc, 37, of Warwick Township, faces seven charges related to his recent arrest by Lambton OPP after stealing cash from the Royal Canadian Legion branch in Watford. But the one that led to the most serious consequences was a single count of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking.

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As of Tuesday afternoon, he is no longer facing this charge.

“He’s very emotional now,” Gale noted. “I don’t know if there’s a huge sense of relief.”

Bolduc's lawyer, Terry Brandon, confirmed that was the case, recalling that they had discussions about the fact that he was facing a long prison sentence for a drug that he said was not his and which he did not use.

“He was accused of this and now it’s not what we thought,” Brandon said. “You see the emotional response, he’s really grateful.”

Although the trafficking charge was dropped, Bolduc, who has ties to Watford, Petrolia, Glencoe and Sarnia, faces charges of break and enter with intent, breach of recognizance, and two counts of each charged with possession of stolen property valued at more than $5,000 and mischief valued at less than $5,000. $5,000. Lambton OPP previously said an intruder broke through a window at the Legion branch in Watford around 9:30 a.m. on April 13 and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.

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“The individual caused significant damage inside the business,” police said.

This case is one of four sets of charges he faces in Sarnia, along with another case in London. Gale agreed to grant him bail on the charges against him in Sarnia. His $2,000 release order includes a ban on speaking to two people, driving, having weapons and returning to the Watford Legion.

It is unclear when he will be released, as he must also obtain bail in London. The charges against Bolduc in Sarnia will return to court in October.

Bolduc was sentenced in 2022 to six months in prison for a series of crimes, including possession of stolen property, which he posted on his own Instagram account. He was also on probation in 2017 for possessing a stolen ATV and got in trouble in 2016 for failing to perform court-ordered community service.

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