Two men charged in connection with the attempted murder of a Belleville businessman have pleaded guilty to, and been found guilty of, a lesser charge of aggravated assault.
Jordan Earle and Kyle Arsenault appeared in Belleville court before Justice Graeme Mew on Wednesday.
The Crown accepted the plea of aggravated assault.
They have both been sentenced to eight years, less time served, which means another four-and-a-half years in jail on that charge. They will also serve another nine months on an arson charge, and three months on a break and enter charge.
The court heard that, after robbing businessman Jason Ro, the two men attacked him with a golf club leaving Ro with permanent eye damage as well as other health issues.
Crown attorney Lee Burgess told the court the attack on Mr. Ro “sent shock waves through community.” Burgess called it a two-day crime spree.
Burgess added, “The overall nature of the behavior was concerning for two very young men. This goes very well beyond that and shows a certain hardened behaviour of criminal.” He said he hoped they could be rehabilitated.
“Two hours after breaking into a cottage (in Belleville), they entered Mr. Ro’s general store. Sprayed him with bear spray. He (Ro) chased them with a golf club. They (Arsenault and Earle) managed to get the better of him, strike him forcefully on the head, causing loss of his eye, devastating damage … doesn’t have use of his left hand at this point. Then Earle stabs him (Ro) multiple times. This could easily have been Mr Ro’s demise but for prompt attention by two individuals and ambulance crew.”
“I wonder to what extent you could be put in shoes of the victim. See their prospect of what you did to them. How did you feel when looked at the scarred and battered body of Mr Ro. How do you think he feels each morning he wakes up and can only see with one of his two eyes. Think about these things in the months and years to follow.”
“We are very thankful that he is here today but that is not for anything the accused did,” he added. “This is a man who came here with nothing. He set about to make a life for himself and his family. He has worked at his store for 33 years with no breaks and days off because he is trying to make something for himself and his family.”
Aside from the debilitating physical injuries he sustained, Burgess said the emotional scars Ro and his family endure will last forever.
The offenses, which occurred in 2019, also included break and enter of a cottage in Belleville, setting fire to a garage, and break and enter to an east end residence.
In a court document, a man whose cottage was broken into by Earle amd Arsenault, and had his garage set on fire said his wife no longer feels safe to go to the cottage alone. There was $50,000 of uninsured loss.
Mew said he wanted the pair’s sentence to send a strong message of denunciation for what they have done.
He said aggravating factors included not only ‘the utter lawlessness’ of the crimes that occurred but the contempt and sense of triumph shown in videos seized of them bragging of their ‘horrible crimes.’
“The harm inflicted was physical, psychological and economic,” Mew said. “The senselessness. So much of the damage and destruction was seemingly gratuitous and random and pointless.”
The court heard that at one point Arsenault had a loaded gun and was making threats. He was not licensed to possess firearms.
Justice Mew sentenced the two men to the proposed sentencing put forth by Burgess.
Earle and Arsenault pleaded guilty to:
Count 1, break and enter Dirocco cottage
Count 3, arson Dirocco garage
Count 5, robbery of Jason Ro
Count 6, aggravated assault of Jason Ro
Count 7, break and enter to Cross/Coughlan residence
Count 9, Jordan Earle only pleaded guilty to theft of motor vehicle
Count 11, Kyle Arsenault only pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited weapon
Count 13, Kyle Arsenault only assault of a police officer
