Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
A man from Burnaby, B.C., and a man from Scoudouc, N.B., have been charged following a home invasion and kidnapping in the community.
On November 19, 2023, members of the Codiac Regional RCMP received a report that there had been a home invasion at a residence on High Street, in Moncton. Two men, one of whom was armed with a long gun, and one woman, forcefully entered the residence by kicking through the door, and then forced the resident of the home into their vehicle by threatening them with the firearm. One other individual who was at the residence at the time sustained minor injuries during the home invasion.
They then fled the scene, and the victims were able to escape from the vehicle while it was moving.
On November 29, police located the vehicle that was involved in the kidnapping at a residence on Parker Road, in Scoudouc, N.B. As a result, members of the Codiac Regional RCMP Crime Reduction Unit, RCMP Emergency Response Team, Police Dog Services, and RCMP Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems operators also attended the scene, and a search warrant was executed. During the search, police seized a number of unsafely stored firearms, ammunition, clothing, a stolen trailer, and other weapons.
A 26-year-old man, 20-year-old man, 51-year-old man, and a 48-year-old woman were all arrested at the scene. A fifth person, a 35-year-old woman was arrested earlier the same day. The 51-year-old man, 35-year-old woman, and the 48-year-old woman were later released pending future court appearances.
On November 30, James Eugene Goguen-Lirette and Tyler Matthew Breland appeared in Moncton Provincial Court and were charged with:
- Breaking and entering into a residence while knowing the residence was occupied
- Kidnapping with intent
- Assault
- Using a firearm while committing the offence of kidnapping
- Being an occupant of a vehicle while knowing there is a firearm in the vehicle
- Carrying a concealed weapon
- Possession of a weapon for the purpose of committing an offence
- Careless use of a firearm
- Pointing a firearm
- Failure to comply with conditions of a release order
James Eugene Goguen-Lirette was also charged with failure to comply with a probation order. Both men were remanded into custody.
On December 4, both men returned to court, and were remanded into custody until their next court appearance on December 18.
Members of the British Columbia RCMP also assisted with the investigation.