Shortly after 4:40 a.m. on October 18, 2024, police were contacted in relation to an assault and theft reported after the fact. Information provided was that between 12:30 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. two individuals had attended a residence on Francis Street in Hanmer where they assaulted and threatened an individual inside the home with a baseball bat. The two individuals took the person’s wallet, cellphone and vehicle keys while forcing the person to sign a bill of sale for his vehicle. The individuals then left the residence with the vehicle and the personal belongings.

The individual sustained minor injuries as a result of the incident. The individuals involved in this incident are known to each other.

Detectives from the Major Crime Section of our Criminal Investigation Division applied for and were granted a search warrant for a residence on St. Agnes Street in Azilda and formed reasonable and probable grounds for the arrests of the two individuals believed to be responsible for the incident.

Prior to executing the search warrant, one of the parties believed to be involved in the incident was arrested in the parking lot of an establishment on Highway 144 in Chelmsford.

Upon searching the individual and the vehicle the individual was driving, officers located multiple baggies containing what is believed to be cocaine and tools that were in the truck taken from the residence in Hanmer.

31-year-old, Yvon Gerner has been charged with the following offences under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) and Criminal Code of Canada;

Possession of a Schedule I Substance

  • Extortion
  • Assault with a Weapon
  • Assault Cause Bodily Harm
  • Robbery
  • Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose
  • Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Under $5,000
  • Careless Use of a Firearm, Weapon, Prohibited Device or Ammunition

Around 7:30 p.m., Detectives from our Break Enter and Robbery (BEAR) Unit with the assistance of our Emergency Response Unit (ERU) executed the search warrant at the residence on St. Agnes Street in Azilda.

As a result of the search warrant, officers located and seized the stolen personal belongings, the bill of sale for the vehicle and the vehicle. Officers also located and seized several unrestricted firearms that were unlawfully stored within the residence and an unregistered firearm.

48-year-old, Dawn Difant has been charged with the following offences under the Criminal Code of Canada;

  • Extortion
  • Assault with a Weapon
  • Assault Cause Bodily Harm
  • Robbery
  • Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose
  • Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5,000

Both individuals attended Weekend and Statutory Holiday (WASH) Court on October 19, 2024, and were held in police custody to attend Bail Court today, October 21, 2024, to answer to the charges.

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