Lockdown suspect accused of attempted murder
Rodney Michael Dickinson, 53, of Chipman, faces long list of charges after RCMP advised Grand Lake residents Sunday evening to hunker down in their locked homes
A man arrested Sunday evening after the RCMP issued public alerts that it was searching for an armed suspect faces charges of attempted murder and numerous firearms offences.
Rodney Michael Dickinson, 53, of Bridge Street in Chipman, made his initial appearance in Fredericton provincial court by telephone Monday.
The RCMP laid charges Monday alleging Dickinson attempted to murder Paul Belliveau with a shotgun; that he discharged that shotgun at Belliveau with intent to wound, maim or disfigure him; that he used a shotgun in a careless manner; that he possessed it for the purpose of committing an indictable offence; and that he discharged it at a Minto residence on Pleasant Drive knowing the home was occupied.
Dickinson is also accused of possessing the shotgun without a licence, being the occupant of a car in which he knew there was a firearm, driving with an elevated blood-alcohol level and driving while prohibited by a court order issued October 2021.
All charges allege events in Minto on Sunday.
Crown prosecutor Marc-André Desjardins objected to Dickinson’s release. Judge Mary Jane Richards asked the defendant if he wanted a bail hearing scheduled as soon as possible or if he wanted to retain legal counsel first.
Dickinson said he wanted to hire a lawyer before proceeding with a bail hearing, and he asked for a couple of weeks to do so.
The judge remanded him and ordered him to appear back before the court Aug. 8 to schedule a date for a bail hearing.
Desjardins also asked the court to impose a no-communication order, barring Dickinson from any contact with Belliveau while he’s in custody, and Richards issued that order.
The case against Dickinson arose after an incident in the Minto area of Grand Lake late Sunday afternoon that saw police advising residents to stay in their homes and to lock their doors.
The initial alert went out shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday, but shortly thereafter, the force issued an Alert Ready message through cellphones and broadcasters. It said the Mounties were “searching for a male reported to be carrying a firearm with intent to use it near Pleasant Drive in Minto.”
Police also issued a news release, reporting the then-unnamed suspect was driving a silver, four-door Nissan with no hubcaps.
The RCMP, in a followup Alert Ready message shortly before 7 p.m., advised the situation was over and that people in the Minto area could leave their homes.
The force said at that time it had a person in custody.
The RCMP alerts Sunday indicated the suspect was 55 years old, but the information on the court file notes Dickinson just turned 53 earlier this month.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.
Please refrain from speculating on potential motives for the alleged offences. Mr. Dickinson remains innocent until proven guilty, and gossip can only serve to taint the process.
Great reporting - should be interesting as to why the suspect was going after the victim.