Judge Gail Sinclair stated today that the people who heard about a bomb going off last summer thought “The Taliban had come to Oliver”.
“That was pretty dumb”, Judge Sinclair said admonishing 19 year old Stephan Wesley Daoust after he pled guilty to assault with a weapon (bear spray) and placing explosives to damage property during two incidents at the same home on Earle Crescent in Oliver.
He was sentence to 90 days beyond time already served (38 days). Daoust will be released from Kamloops Regional Correction Facility and sent home on a bus. He then will commence to serve his sentence on weekends in the Oliver RCMP lock up. He will also be on probation for 2 years with many restrictions including a night time curfew and prohibition from consuming alcohol/restricted drugs and being in possession of guns, weapons or explosives.
Both Stephan Daoust and his older brother Eric were sent to the lower mainland for a psychiatric examination after being arrested but the contents of a report were not revealed or utilized in the court hearing today.
Stephan Daoust admitted to building the bomb in his father’s garage in rural Oliver. A metal box was constructed, bird banger explosives inserted and a wick used as a timing device. He admitted to placing the bomb and releasing bear spray in the home of Lee Ann Wilson and her grandson Jesse Wilson.
Court was told any relationship between the two brothers and the younger Wilson were not good with a history of altercations that dated back many years.
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In a separate hearing 23 year old Eric Daoust asked for and received a Judicial Interim Release (bail) on the one charge he faces. Judge Gail Sinclair released the older brother on a $2000 surety with a restriction of not speaking to his brother on any matter relating to the bombing. He is slated to appear again December 18th for matters relating to a future trial.
No matter of restitution was mentioned in either hearing.
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Previously on ODN
Date of Offence 11-Aug-2013
Date of arrest 25-Oct-2013
Charge under Criminal Code of Canada
CCC – 81(1)(c) placing explosive to damage property
81. (1) Every one commits an offence who (c) with intent to destroy or damage property without lawful excuse, places or throws an explosive substance anywhere.
Investigators with the RCMP arrested Stephan Daoust and his 23 year old brother Eric without incident after a two month long investigation.
The Oliver RCMP investigated the bombing incident after it went unreported for a day as it was believed to have been a lightning strike. Police became involved the following day when a resident came to the local RCMP office with a piece of metal shrapnel believed to be connected with damage to a homeowners’ garage and a vehicle parked nearby.
RCMP officers attended and examined the scene and determined that an improvised (homemade) explosive device had been placed and detonated under a white Toyota Camry parked in the residential alleyway between Okanagan Street and Earle Crescent in Oliver. No one was injured in the blast however close examination of the vehicle and a nearby homeowner’s garage uncovered damage by the blast and flying shrapnel. The metal fragment (18 cm x 5 cm x .5 cm) had been found in the complainant’s garage after it was projected at a sufficient velocity to go through the outside wall, splinter through a 2 x 4 and end up inside the garage. Prior to the damage being discovered police connected other reports of an explosion being heard in Oliver at around 2:00 AM on the 11th of August.
Stephan Daoust was charged with assault with a weapon for a second incident where it was alleged that he broke into the home on September 8th and discharged a can of bear spray.
“Our findings into the I.E.D. incident and pepper spray assault indicate that the violence was targeted towards the young man who resided in the home where the car was damaged. All three knew each other and are long time residents. It appears that the matter stemmed from a mutual longstanding dislike for each other. No one was seriously injured as a result.” says RCMP officers.