Sault man arrested in high-risk takedown downtown gets 10 years

A Sault Ste. Marie man is headed to a federal penitentiary for 10 years after pleading guilty to numerous weapon and drug offences stemming from two incidents that occurred in May.

Jeff Leclair was among four people taken into custody May 28 during a high-risk arrest in the city's downtown core.

Police spotted the 28-year-old man about 1 p.m. on East Street, in the 0-100 block area.

At the time, he was wanted in connection with another incident involving a firearm that took place May 11 on Poplar Avenue and was caught on a neighborhood security camera.

During the arrest, Leclair retreated to the rear of the vehicle and then ran. Police nabbed him during a chase.

Officers with the city police Crime Suppression, Drug Enforcement, Emergency Services and Patrol Services units were involved in the high-risk takedown,

When police searched the area, officers located a 357 Magnum handgun, ammunition, substances believed to be oxycodone, cocaine, psilocybin, meth and buprenorphine, digital scales, packaging material, and $2,000 cash.

The narcotics had an estimated street value of approximately $2,500.

On May 11, police responded to a report of gunfire in the 200 block of Poplar Avenue.

Officers determined a man, who was waving a firearm at a woman, had discharged the weapon. They were able to identify a suspect vehicle.

Ontario Provincial Police spotted the vehicle in a business parking lot on Trunk Road, but it fled from the scene at a high rate of speed.

City police located the vehicle the following day in a parking lot in the 600 block of MacDonald Avenue and seized it.

Leclair pleaded guilty to the various charges on June 24.

Ontario Court Justice Melanie Dunn sentenced him to eight years for the Criminal Code offences, and two years consecutive for the drug offences.

The sentence was jointly recommended by defence lawyer Jennifer Tremblay-Hall Assistant Crown Attorney Karen Pritchard and federal prosecutor Ben Pritchard.