Man charged with attempted murder using natural gas

A 29-year-old Searchmont man has been charged with attempted murder after a natural gas line was disconnected early today at a house on Old Garden River Road in Sault Ste. Marie.

City Police have issued the following news release:

************************ Shortly before 5:30 a.m. this morning the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service attended at a civic address in the 100 block of Old Garden River Road.

Upon arrival officers discovered that an elderly occupant of the home had been assaulted.

The victim had been assaulted in the head area while he lay in bed.

Police are not releasing any information on the weapon used in the assault.

The victim was taken by ambulance to the hospital.

The 78-year-old male victim was treated at the Sault Area Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and has been released from medical care.

Officers from Investigation Services, along with the Forensic Unit are continuing the investigation into this incident.

In addition to the assault on the male, officers learned that the accused allegedly disconnected the natural gas line to the furnace allowing the gas to disperse throughout the house in which the elderly male and his wife reside.

Emergency personnel from the Sault Ste Marie Fire Services assisted in venting the gas out of the residence.

The quick actions of a witness who attended at the address and called police certainly avoided a more tragic event from occurring.

The Sault Ste Marie Police Service would like to assure the public that this is not a random incident.

The accused and the victims are known to each other and the accused had been temporarily staying at the home of the two elderly victims.

29-year old Joseph Pepin of Searchmont, Ontario has been charged with 2 counts of attempt murder and one count of breach of probation.

The accused will appear in bail court Monday morning.

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