Fiery riot at Algoma Treatment and Remand Centre sparked by homemade brew, court hears

A violent disturbance erupted at the Algoma Treatment and Remand Centre after correctional officers detected the odour of a homemade brew on the morning of Jan. 27.

It was shortly after 9 a.m. and two of the inmates in the west wing were staggering while others were observed drinking from cups, Ontario Court Justice Romuald Kwolek heard Tuesday.

Things escalated over the next three hours, from heated verbal confrontations between prisoners, to banging and yelling at officers, to a fire alarm being activated setting off the sprinklers, to a large fire in a cell and ultimately a riot.

Branden Hartling, one of the inmates, involved in the rampage, pleaded guilty to participating a riot.

The 27-year-old and another man, covered their faces with shirts, and put a mattress against a door of a cell.

He was yelling he was "not coming out and the team was going to have to get him," as the pair "became unruly and wild," assistant Crown attorney Matthew Caputo said.

At 11:53 a.m., smoke was spotted pouring out of their cell. There was a large fire inside, with flames touching the ceiling .

All of the inmates came out of their cells, and the west wing was unsafe for the correctional officers because of their behaviour and they left, Caputo said.

Hartling and two inmates started throwing items and pounding on the glass, while others tried to cover the glass and blanket security cameras with paper, the assistant Crown attorney told Kwolek.

The officers could still see the riot inside, where other fires were started.

Hartling also pleaded guilty to a June 8, 2018 break-in at a Searchmont residence and related weapons offences.

He was convicted of a break and enter to steal an 870 Remington pump-action firearm, a 303 Parker Hail rifle and Ruger .22 rifle, as well possessing these firearms without a licence.

The accused also was found guilty of possessing the three guns and two crossbows, while prohibited from having weapons, and breaching probation  and a recognizance.

Caputo said a person checking a residence on Highway 532 that evening noticed a gate was unlocked and locks on the cabin had been cut.

He contacted the owner, who called the Ontario Provincial Police about the break-in.

A neighbour reported that he had driven behind a suspicious blue pickup along the highway as he drove to work at 5:30 a.m. that day.

An ATV and a trail bike were following behind the truck.

Kwolek heard padlocks had been ground off a trailer containing the trail bike and the side door to the camp was smashed in to gain entry.

Three locked metal gun cabinets were damaged, and the three firearms, along with 2,000 rounds of ammunition, were stolen.

Caputo said there were three surveillance cameras in various locations on the property, including inside the cabin.

The videos showed three people, two of whom were known to police, and Hartling was possibly the third.

On June 12, officers spoke to one of the known individuals who provided an inculpatory statement.

He had been picked up by two friends, whom he didn't want to identify, and they had driven to Searchmont where they took items, Caputo said.

Seven days later, police talked to a second man, who indicated the trio had gone to the site, with knowledge that there were items worth stealing.

Hartling, who was in custody at the jail on other matters, was charged a couple of days later, Caputo said.

The Crown and defence counsel Eric McCooeye jointly recommended that he be sentenced to two years less a day for all the offences, with credit for his pre-sentence-custody.

EDITOR'S NOTE: SooToday does not permit comments on court stories

When he imposed sentence, Kwolek told Hartling he considered the break and enter the most serious of the offences.

Break-ins to a residence carry a maximum sentence of life, he said, also noting more than $35,000 in assets had been stolen and there was damage to the property.

"It's particularly aggravating that you were on conditions with weapon prohibitions and some of the items were weapons."

Kwolek also pointed to Hartling's "fairly lengthy record," which he has amassed since 2017, as aggravating. He cited the guilty pleas as a mitigating factor that saved the court time and money.

The judge told the accused that the riot charge has a maximum penalty of two years, and this type inside an institution has the potential to do extensive damage.

Kwolek said.

With the credit he received for his pre-sentence custody, Hartling faces a further 153 days behind bars.

"You committed serious offences and are going to pay consequences for them," Kwolek said.

He also imposed a life-time weapons ban.