Subject of 2020 Bridgewater-area manhunt awaits sentencing on eight charges
A Cape Breton resident who was the subject of a South Shore manhunt in the summer of 2020 after assaulting his common-law husband and stabbing a Bridgewater police officer has pleaded guilty to eight criminal charges from the series events.
Tobias Charles Doucette, 34, of Potlotek First Nation evaded police several days after the July 20, 2020 incidents at the Bridgewater Hotel.
An RCMP dog was stabbed with a spiked stick during the search for Doucette, who was eventually arrested on July 26, 2020 in Hebbville, near Bridgewater, after someone attempted to steal two company trucks.
Doucette was set to stand trial this week in Bridgewater county court on 14 charges, including attempted murder of Sgt. Matthew Bennett, who was stabbed in the neck after responding to the domestic violence call at the hotel.
But Doucette pleaded guilty this spring to eight charges: aggravated assault, assault, wounding a law enforcement animal, unlawful residence in a residence, two counts of attempted theft of a motor vehicle and two counts of assault on property.
Defense attorney Darren MacLeod and crown attorney Mark Heerema appeared in court by phone Friday to set dates for a sentencing hearing, which will be preceded by a Mi’kmaw sentencing circle.
The post-conviction sentencing circle, which will be facilitated by the Mi’kmaw Legal Support Network, will be held in Potlotek on September 13. The restorative justice process is based on Mi’kmaw traditions and philosophies and focuses on promoting accountability, acknowledging the harm done to victims and the community, and repairing relationships.
The results of the circle will be considered by the judge at Doucette’s sentencing hearing, scheduled for Oct. 5 in Bridgewater.
The agreed statement of facts on which the Crown will rely has yet to be finalized, Heerema said, but will be ready in time for sentencing. He said he also expects some victim impact statements to be filed.
Doucette was granted bail in October 2020 and placed under house arrest at a family member’s house in Potlotek. He may only leave the house to go to work or attend appointments in the direct company of one of his two guarantors.
He was required to surrender his passport and remain in Nova Scotia and report weekly to Potlotek RCMP by phone. He is prohibited from having contact with the woman he assaulted, from contacting the Bridgewater Police Department, and from possessing or using alcohol or drugs.
