Minto man faces prison for shotgun incident
Rodney Michael Dickinson, 53, attributes crimes to severe alcoholism, court hears
A Minto man who fired a shotgun last summer at a man he says beat him up over a debt was highly intoxicated at the time and blames his egregious actions on his alcoholism.
Rodney Michael Dickinson, 53, of Bridge Street, appeared in Fredericton provincial court by video conference from jail Thursday for a sentencing hearing.
He pleaded guilty last fall to several serious offences stemming from an incident in the Minto area in which shots were fired, leading the RCMP to issue a shelter-in-place alert, locking down the community for a couple of hours.
Dickinson reaffirmed his guilty pleas Thursday before Judge Cameron Gunn for the following crimes:
discharging a shotgun at Paul Belliveau with intent to wound, maim or disfigure him;
discharging the shotgun at Belliveau’s home knowing it was occupied;
possessing the shotgun for the purpose of committing an offence;
possessing it without a licence;
occupying a motor vehicle in which he knew there was a firearm;
impaired driving;
and driving while prohibited by a court order.
Crown prosecutor Rodney Jordan said the case arose when RCMP Cpl. Dave Penney of the RCMP’s Minto detachment responded to a call of gunshots at 4:03 p.m. July 23.
“It was reported that shots had been fired at a male at 280 Pleasant Dr. in Minto,” he said.
When Penney arrived on the scene, court heard, Paul Belliveau said he was at home outside his residence at that address when a silver Nissan sedan pulled up to his driveway.
The unknown male driver pulled out a shotgun from the passenger seat and called out, “You guys had better fuck off!”
When Belliveau saw the firearm, Jordan said, he ran for his house, and he heard the first shot. Inside, the prosecutor said, the victim heard a second shot ring out, and the glass in the window under which he was crouched shattered.
The impact was so strong that it knocked Belliveau’s hat off his head, he reported.
Belliveau fled the home out the other end, the prosecutor said, and made a mad dash to a neighbour’s house, as the Nissan was still in the driveway.
All told, witnesses reported hearing about four shotgun blasts, court heard, and a man who was visiting Belliveau’s home at the time reported the back window of his Dodge Journey, which had been in the driveway, had been shot out and there was birdshot damage to the rear end of his vehicle.
No one sustained any wounds in the incident, Jordan said.
“[Belliveau] didn’t know who it was that had shot at him,” Jordan said.
Community in lockdown
The RCMP issued a critical incident alert at 5:18 p.m. that afternoon, he said.
“The public were advised to shelter in place,” the prosecutor said.
That advisory remained in effect for about two hours that afternoon.
As police searched for the Nissan, Jordan said, Penney received information that the suspect might be Dickinson, and the tip indicated he might be highly intoxicated.
Penney knew Dickinson had some history with Belliveau and that Dickinson had a criminal history for impaired driving.
Officers staked out Dickinson’s home, the prosecutor said, and eventually, he showed up at the wheel of the Nissan sedan. When officers tried to get him to pull over and exit the car, he said, Dickinson kept on driving.
“[Penney[ believed the suspect vehicle was trying to flee,” Jordan said.
Mounties cornered him at the end of a dead-end road, court heard, and Dickinson told officers he wanted to die.
The suspect surrendered, the prosecutor said, and it was immediately apparent Dickinson was hammered.
“He had trouble standing up on his own,” Jordan said.
A breathalyzer test later revealed Dicksinon’s blood-alcohol level at the time was 220 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, almost three times the legal limit of 80 mg, court heard Thursday.
Dickinson was initially arrested for attempted murder and again for impaired driving.
“[Dickinson] stated that he shot at them ‘because they beat me up,’” the prosecutor said.
Dickinson claimed when he reported that assault to the RCMP, police did nothing.
Court heard the offender expressed concern and guilt even on the day of the shooting incident.
“Rodney Dickinson did ask Cpl. Penney if anyone was hurt,” Jordan said. “He stated that if he wanted [Belliveau[ dead, he’d be dead.”
At the time, he said, Dickinson was prohibited from driving for two years as a result of a prior conviction for impaired driving. In fact, Jordan said, the accused has three prior convictions for impaired driving, but no previous instances of violence or firearms offences.
The prosecutor recommended a total prison term of 4½ years, less credit for time spent on remand since Dickinson’s arrest.
Among the aggravating factors justifying the suggested prison term was the serious and dangerous nature of the incident and Dickinson’s history of drunk driving, he argued.
Jordan also asked the court to impose orders requiring the offender to submit a DNA sample for inclusion in a criminal database, barring him possessing firearms and other weapons for 10 years after his sentence, prohibiting him from driving for three to four years after serving his sentence, and requiring the shotgun to be forfeited to the Crown.
Alcoholism blamed for crimes
Defence lawyer Spencer MacInnis instead asked Gunn to consider an overall prison sentence of 3½ years, with a further reduction to account for remand time.
“It is his addiction issue that led to this very serious circumstance,” she said.
Dickinson has struggled with alcoholism for most of his life, the defence lawyer said, describing the violence he exhibited July 23 to be uncharacteristic for her client.
She emphasized that Dickinson had been assaulted by Belliveau and others over a debt they owed him.
“There was bad blood,” MacInnis said. “He felt threatened by these people.”
That fear combined with severe intoxication led to a terrible choice, she said.
Dickinson has strong family support and was working right up until this happened, MacInnis said, noting he was a contributing member of society and has strong prospects for continued employment after he serves his time.
“He has grandchildren as well, and he plays an active role in their lives,” she said.
Dickinson said the events of that day seem like a bad dream he wishes would just go away, but he now sees how badly alcoholism had taken over his life and upended his whole world.
At the time, he said, he believed he had good reason for doing what he did, noting Belliveau and others beat him with a baseball bat and their fists.
“I know it was the alcohol that made me think that it was OK to do this,” he told the judge.
“I can’t imagine the fear I imposed on the victims and community that day.”
Gunn said given the divergent positions of the Crown and defence, he was reserving his decision on sentence to Jan. 15, and he remanded Dickinson again until that time.
It’s expected that once sentence is imposed, the Crown will withdraw related counts of attempted murder, careless use of a firearm and improper storage/transportation of a firearm.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.
They have no problem doing the crime but, cry when it comes time to do the time. Where's your big boy pants now man, had the whole community scared and in lock down over your stupidity but now don't wanna go play with the "good boys" lol loser