By Bill Jackson
Sept 6, 2006
Regional News
Two young offenders from Six Nations caught throwing debris off the train bridge over Highway 54 in
“They thought it was pretty funny that they did it,” said one local woman whose brand new truck was scratched and dented as a result. Her husband chased the teens down himself while police did nothing, she claims.
The couple wishes to remain anonymous, fearing reprisal.
A police spokesman told The Regional News This Week tha the parents of the young offenders were contacted and that a “diversion program” will be “exercised” in this matter. According to the victims, police say its unlikely the costs of repairs totaling $1287 will be recovered.
The incident occurred last Tuesday evening, August 29, when the local man was on his way back from a gas station with a new propane tank.
All of a sudden the pickup truck he was driving was showered with rocks, some of them the size of a baseball, his wife explained. Because the teens were situated on the train bridge, her husband turned down
“The kids I guess finally admitted to it,” she said.
Initially they denied any wrongdoing.
“They said first… that they had a disability.”
However police just sat in the park adjacent to the train bridge while the incident was taking place, noted the woman. And another local homeowner backs up her story.
An officer sitting in the park nearby said he wasn’t responsible for anything “on that side”, which they both interpreted to mean “on that side of the river”.
But the victims’ main reason for contacting the paper was to spread awareness about the incident and to let people know that debris is still flying from the sky onto Highway 54. They’re scared someone will get maimed, or worse.
No warning or notice has been issued by the OPP in the form of a press release.
Since the native land occupation began in Douglas Creek Estates last February there have been numerous reports of materials being chucked onto 54 from above. The majority of complaints have dealt with the Highway 6 bypass, not the train bridge.
Police would not confirm if the other complaints were related to last week’s incident, nor would they confirm if the young offenders involved had anything to do with the ongoing land dispute in town.