Trail man found guilty for armed assault against police
By Trail Champion
A Trail man has been found guilty of three charges and will be facing sentencing in September after assaulting two officers last October, according to Trail RCMP NCO i/c Sgt. Mike Wicentowich.
“I attended court in Castlegar on Monday and was present for the decision by Judge Sicotte on the Sheldon Matteucci incident (see below original media release for details). Sheldon Matteucci was found guilty on three counts:
- Assaulting a Police Officer with a Weapon contrary to Section 270.01(1)(a) of the Criminal Code;
- Possessing a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose contrary to Section 88(1) of the Criminal Code;
- Resisting/Obstructing a Police Office contrary to Section 129(a) of the Criminal Code.
He said a new court date September 15, 2022, will be to fix a date for sentencing and Matteucci will remain in custody until that time.
“Trail RCMP is satisfied with the guilty verdict against Mr. Matteucci,” Wicentowich said. “The two officers who responded to this incident received high praise from the witnesses for their professionalism when arresting Mr. Matteucci. Both officers demonstrated courage and tenacity when maintain public safety in the most challenging of circumstances.
“One of our officers continues to recover from the incident. Trail RCMP supports him and his family and look forward to his return to work. I would like to thank all of our hardworking Trail RCMP officers who continue to make a huge difference in their community every day.”
Previous coverage:
“On Oct. 9, 2021, at 6:27 p.m., Trail and Greater District RCMP responded to a complaint about a 41-year-old Trail man allegedly causing a disturbance in the 2000 block of Daniel Street in Trail,” said Trail RCMP Sgt. Mike Wicentowich. “A query of a RCMP computer system revealed that the man had two outstanding unendorsed warrants for his arrest. When a Trail RCMP officer arrived at the above location, he located and arrested the man in question. The man immediately became aggressive toward the officer and walked toward him while brandishing two large knives. The man refused to drop the knives or comply with the direction provided by the officer. The officer successfully deployed his taser against the man and temporarily disabled him. The Officer took the opportunity to remove both knives from the suspect’s hands while a second officer arrived on scene to assist. The man was secured by the two officers after a lengthy and violent struggle given by the man. The officers lodged the man into the cellblock at the Trail Detachment.
“Both Trail RCMP officers received injuries during the violent incident. One of the officers was treated at hospital for a serious cut to his hand and remains off-duty.
“Trail and Greater District RCMP will be continuing to investigate the matter and will be speaking to people who witnessed the incident.
“The 41-year-old Trail man will make his first appearance on Thursday, October 14, 2021, in Provincial Court, in Rossland, BC. He will be facing several charges including:
- Assaulting a Police Officer with a Weapon contrary to Section 270.01(1)(a) of the Criminal Code
- Possessing a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose contrary to Section 88(1) of the Criminal Code
- Resisting/Obstructing a Police Office contrary to Section 129(a) of the Criminal Code
“This was a very serious incident which the two officers successfully resolved. They demonstrated their bravery and dedication to keeping Trail safe with quick action and thinking. Our thought are with our injured officer as he recovers.”
