Kingston News, May 18, 2017

Flight Diverted – Amherstview Man

The wife of a man from Amherstview arrested by the FBI in Florida says his behaviour is not in keeping with the man she knows.  33 year-old Brandon Courneyea was arrested Monday after his flight from Jamaica to Toronto was diverted to Orlando.

Amanda Courneyea says her husband was returning home earlier than expected after telling her locals in Jamaica were threatening his life.

Court documents claim Courneyea yelled at fellow passengers for looking at him, swung pots full of hot coffee at flight attendants and eventually tried to open the door of the aircraft mid-flight, saying “it would only take one guy to take the plane down.”

Cocaine and Methamphetamine Trafficking

A man and woman from Kingston and a man from Brockville have been arrested after Kingston Police seized cocaine worth an estimated $100,000.

Kingston Police say a 32 year old man and 32 year old woman drove to Brockville on Tuesday…picked up a bag of cocaine from a 29 year old man and returned to Kingston.  They were busted coming off the 401 Tuesday afternoon.

Search warrants turned up more drugs and the trio have been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Kingston Police also arrested three people after seizing crystal meth when they stopped a vehicle coming off the 401 at Montreal Street Tuesday night.

A 40-year old man, a 59-year old man, and a 60-year old woman have been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Pickup/Bicycle Collision

A 13 year old boy was taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries when his bicycle was involved in a collision with a pickup truck on Rutledge Road in Sydenham.

Frontenac OPP says the crash took place around 4:50 Tuesday afternoon.

No charges have been laid and police say their investigation is continuing.

Napanee – Motorcycle/Pedestrian Crash

A Kingston man and a woman from Napanee have suffered critical injuries in a collision involving the man’s motorcycle.

Napanee OPP say the 47 year old man lost control of his motorcycle on South Shore Road in Napanee. It collided with a 53 year old woman walking her dog on the eastbound shoulder of the road around 7:30 Tuesday night.

The collision remains under investigation.

Flood Update

The water has continued to rise on Lake Ontario and the Township of Frontenac Islands has activated its Emergency Response Plan.

The township has declared a flood emergency and says it may lead to help from the province for those who are facing damage to their homes and property.

The Township is also concerned about the township operated Howe Island and Simcoe Island ferries.

The water level is high enough to make it almost impossible for vehicles to get on and off of the ferries.

It is also urging residents to have their well water tested for contamination.

Township officials will meet with officials from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, other emergency management services, the OPP and Frontenac County Paramedic Services today.

Carp – Belle Island

The low lying areas of the Belle Park Golf Course in Kingston have flooded and dozens of carp have been able to swim onto the golf course as they look for shallow places to spawn.

The city says an ecologist is monitoring the situation and the fish will be removed if there is a chance they’ll get stranded on the golf course.  A news release says the city is working with the Ministry of Natural Resources to make sure permits and procedures are in place to allow it to safely move the fish as water levels recede.

The golf course is closed until further notice but the driving range remains open.

History File

From Tony’s today in history file…Kingston becomes a city 171 years ago today.

Kingston was first settled in 1783.  It was incorporated as a town in 1838.

As the population grew and edged up above 6,000 people…Kingston was officially incorporated as a city on this day…June 18…1846.  John Counter was the city’s first mayor.