Lennox & Addington OPP are crediting a citizen’s keen eye with the arrest of Dyllon Nelson, 26 years old, for a host of criminal charges following an incident in Deseronto on Jan. 17.
Just before 3 a.m. this morning an alert citizen who had seen the media reports recognized the accused in Kingston. The citizen contacted the Kingston Police who apprehended the accused on King Street a short time later. The accused was turned over the OPP and is currently in custody awaiting a bail hearing in the Ontario Court of Justice in Greater Napanee later today. At the time of his arrest, the accused was in possession of a prohibited weapon. Further charges relating to that weapon are expected to be laid against the accused.
The arrest stems from an incident last Friday when a 911 call was made by a resident of an apartment on Mill Street in Deseronto. The caller reported that an unknown masked person had just attempted to gain entry into the apartment. When entry was refused the suspect discharged a firearm at the door before fleeing.
Members of the L&A detachment and the Tyendinaga Police Service immediately converged on the area. A canine track was conducted with the assistance of the OPP’s Tactics and Rescue (TRU) team but the suspect was not located.
The investigation continued and a suspect was identified. In the early morning of Jan. 22 police executed search warrants at two residences, one in Deseronto and the other on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. A vehicle was also seized from a third address in Deseronto.
That same day, an arrest warrant was issued for Nelson, of no fixed address. The accused was charged with:
- Pointing a firearm;
- Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose;
- Unauthorized possession of a firearm;
- Discharging a firearm with intent to commit a criminal offence;
- Criminal Harassment; and
- Wearing a disguise with intent to commit a criminal offence.
Police issued an appeal to the public to aid in the apprehension of the accused. That appeal was picked up by media outlets and was widely shared.
The safe and successful apprehension of this accused illustrates very effectively the importance of the relationship between the police, the media and the public. The L&A County detachment would like to extend our thanks for all the assistance we have received from the media, the Kingston Police, and the public in this case.