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Accused Parents Flee

April 14, 2010 permalink

Parents Christopher Smith and Angele (Angel) Bertrand have been charged in the February 17 death of Bryce Christopher Smith, almost three months old. Angel has two older boys from a previous relationship. Relative Anna Tessier fears in a Facebook posting that the couple will try to take Angel's two older boys back from foster care. Since the boys have family not accused of a crime, why are they in foster care?

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Arrest warrant issued for man charged in son's death

Christopher Smith
An arrest warrant has been issued for 21-year-old Christopher Smith. The warrant was issued because Smith breached bail conditions. Smith is facing charges stemming from the death of his three-month-old son, Bryce, in February. A warrant has also been issued for the baby's mother, Angele Bertrand.
Supplied photo.

Second warrant issued for baby's mother

An arrest warrant for 21-year-old Christopher Smith, who is facing charges in the death of his three-month-old son, has been issued after just two days after he was released on bail.

Smith was arrested on Feb. 13, after paramedics contacted police after taking Smith's son, Bryce, to St. Joseph's Health Centre. Bryce was airlifted to an Ottawa hospital, and died five days later.

A warrant has also been issued for 20-year-old Angele Bertrand, Bryce's mother, said Greater Sudbury Police const. Bert Lapalme.

Smith is facing four charges, one each of manslaughter, criminal negligence causing death, failing to provide the necessities of life, and assault (against Smith's common-law wife).

According to media reports, Smith's first attempt at bail was denied, but the second was allowed, so he could receive alcohol addiction counselling.

Three people posted $2,500 each as surety for Smith, and he was released with the condition that he must follow a curfew that would have him with one of the three sureties between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. The bail conditions also required Smith to not be in contact with Bertrand.

Only four days after being released on bail, information provided to the police indicated he was not following the conditions set out in his bail.

The police went to the address where Smith lived, and found he was not there. Information has led police to believe he left in the company of Bertrand.

Smith is wanted on three counts of breach of recognizance, and Bertrand is wanted on a charge of party to the offence of breach of recognizance.

Anyone with information about Smith and Bertrand's whereabouts are asked to contact the Greater Sudbury Police at 675-9171, or Sudbury Rainbow Crime Stoppers at 222-TIPS(8477), online at www.sudburycrimestoppers.com, or by sending a text message to CRIMES (274637), starting with the word TIPSUD, and then the tip.

Source: Northern Life

Addendum: The parents have been captured.

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Police arrest parents of dead baby

The parents of an infant son who died under mysterious circumstance in February are in police custody, Greater Sudbury Police announced Wednesday.

Angele Bertrand, 20, and Christopher Smith, 21, were arrested last night near the Costco store off the Kingsway, a police spokesman said.

Earlier Wednesday, police issued arrest warrants for Bertrand and Smith, a common-law couple who are not supposed to be together under a bail condition imposed on Smith.

Smith was charged with a number of offenses following the death of his three-month-old son Brice Smith two months ago.

He was released on bail last week. But police were told Monday – just days after his release from jail - Smith was not following his conditions. When police went to the home Smith was supposed to be living at, he was not there, investigators allege.

There is evidence he fled with Bertrand, police said.

Smith is wanted for three counts of breach of recognizance. Bertrand is wanted for being a party to the offence of breach of recognizance.

Source: The Sudbury Star

Addendum: Sentenced.

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baby Brice
Baby Brice

Sudbury father who killed baby son 'stuck in grief and filled with pain'

He is sentenced to seven years

Christopher Smith woke up after a night of hard drinking about 7 a.m. on Feb. 13, 2010, to care for his infant son, a Sudbury court heard on Monday.

Within an hour, the about eight-pound baby Brice was admitted to Sudbury Regional Hospital with no vital signs, assistant Crown attorney Kenrick Abbott said.

Brice was resuscitated, but died four days later at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa.

Smith pleaded guilty in a Sudbury court on Monday to criminal negligence causing the death of Brice.

"Everyday he replays in his mind what he … should have done to prevent this," Smith's lawyer, Bob Beckett said. "He takes responsibility for his actions."

Smith takes responsibility for causing two serious head injuries that lead to the baby's death.

"My client has to live with that every day," Beckett said.

Beckett and Abbott were both suggesting a sentence of seven years in jail, minus credit on a two for one basis for the time he has already served in jail. That would mean an additional sentence of four years and four months in a federal penitentiary.

Ontario Court Justice William Fitzgerald agreed with the sentence, stating it was "reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances."

"This is a tragedy. The events are tragic. The results are tragic. What remains is tragic," Fitzgerald said before sentencing Smith.

Smith apologized to the judge.

"I'm sorry about everything and that's all I have to say," he said.

Smith also wrote the judge with a letter. Fitzgerald read a line from the letter, which stated Smith was "stuck in grief and filled with pain."

Abbott read an agreed statement of facts about the baby's death. Brice was born three months premature on Nov. 20, 2009. At the time of his death, he would have been a corrected age of about one month, Abbott said.

On the night of Feb. 12, 2010, Brice was put to bed about 8 p.m. at his family's Armand Crescent residence in Chelmsford. Brice lived in the home with his father, mother Angele Bertrand and two half-brothers.

After the baby was put to sleep, Bertrand and Smith began drinking. Smith passed out about midnight. Bertrand fed Brice before going to bed herself about 1 a.m., Abbott said.

Smith got up at about 7 a.m. with Brice and the two other children. Bertrand remained in bed. Smith brought Brice back into the bedroom a short time later and called 911. By that time, the injuries had occurred and Brice was turning blue, Abbott said.

The post-mortem examination revealed a number of injuries, among them a fractured left wrist, significant retinal haemorrhaging of both eyes and two blows to the head.

"The injuries to the head required significant force. They could not have been caused by another child, do not typically occur during a fall and even individually were unlikely to stem from accidental injury," Abbott said. "A significant degree of force was required to cause each injury individually. They are above and beyond injuries that could have been caused by normal handling of an infant or even rough handling."

Beckett said his client admits to causing the head injuries, but does not agree that he caused the other injuries. He said the post-mortem examination shows some of the injuries could have been caused at another time.

Source: Sudbury Star

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