Crown opens case against Quebec man accused of kidnapping N.Y. couple
CTV
The Quebec man accused of kidnapping a couple in their 70s from New York state was back in court Tuesday for the start of his trial.
The Quebec man accused of kidnapping a couple in their 70s from New York state was back in court Tuesday for the start of his trial.
The seniors were taken from their home in the small town of Moira, N.Y., near the Canadian border, in September 2020 and found in Magog, in the Eastern Townships.
Gary Arnold, from Hinchinbrooke, Que., is charged with seven offences, including kidnapping, illegal detention, extortion and conspiracy.
He is accused of storming the couple's home and forcing 76-year-old James Helm and his wife, Sandra, Helm, 70, into a vehicle.
According to the prosecution, Arnold brought them into Canada through Akwesasne, the Mohawk Nation territory that straddles the Canada-U.S. border.
They were then taken by boat to Valleyfield, Que., where two men, 57-year-old Franco D’Onofrio and Kosmas Dristas, 51, waited for them.
In her opening statement, Crown prosecutor Kim Chaiken said that Arnold coordinated the overnight transportation of the two hostages to a cottage in Magog, where more accomplices were waiting.
