44-year-old Yorkton man gets six-months for bomb threat

A 44-year-old Yorkton man who threatened to kill police officers and bomb the city RCMP detachment will spend six months, less 42 days time served, in jail.

Shayne Trowbridge pleaded guilty February 25 in Yorkton court to two counts of uttering threats.

Prosecutor Barry Stricker told the Court that on January 14 a sergeant from the Bonavista, Newfoundland RCMP alerted Yorkton police
that Trowbridge was making threats on Facebook using an alias. Members quickly identified Trowbridge as the suspect and determined the detachment was safe. They did, however, evacuate Trowbridge’s apartment building for 24 hours until the bomb
squad from Regina gave the all clear.

Stricker read into the record the offending Facebook posts including threats to “blow up the [expletive deleted] cop shop” and “rip the heads off” police officers. At one point he said he was a terrorist and mentioned ‘Allah’.

He also ranted about everyone from paramedics to prosecutors and judges

The Crown explained that, according to psychiatric reports, the grudge against authorities was related to the defendant’s wife overdosing on his medication.

Police had visited his apartment and taken the drugs as part of the investigation. Later, the RCMP responded to a complaint from the hospital that Trowbridge was causing a disturbance. When they removed him, his shoulder was apparently injured.

Stricker argued that in the absence of a program that would force Trowbridge to take his meds properly, the Crown was forced to seek incarceration and had come to an agreement for a joint submission of six months with the defence.

On the defendant’s behalf, defence attorney Richard Yaholnitsky reiterated that the threats had been instigated by his client missing
his medication and the encounter with police at hospital.

The defence also read Facebook posts into the record that seem to indicate Trowbridge was crying out for help asking to be arrested.

Yaholnitsky said Trowbridge deeply regrets making the threats and really had no way of realistically carrying out the threats, although he said his client recognizes that does not diminish the seriousness of the charges.

The defence also noted that Trowbridge is getting the medical attention he needs in prison, is not showing symptoms any more and the remaining time he has to serve (approximately 138 days) is enough time for him to stabilize completely.

On his own behalf, Trowbridge promised Judge Patrick Reis that his intention was to stay on his meds and stick with his medical treatment. He also indicated his plan when released is to return to his native Newfoundland where he will have the additional
support of his family.

Reis accepted the joint submission telling Trowbridge that the Crown had been “very fair.” The judge admonished the defendant that
his crimes were very serious and concerning in the current context of fear in the country.

The sentence was laid on the second count, which was the bomb threat. On the first count, Trowbridge received four months to be served concurrently.