It’s never a good idea to play smart with the police, especially in the midst of a pandemic when you’re organizing a gathering that violates health measures.
Citizens of Magog learned it the hard way, Sunday evening, in Magog in Estrie.
In the early evening, the police received a complaint that a “large gathering” was underway in a private residence in the area.
You should know that it is still forbidden to hold indoor gatherings under government guidelines.
When the police arrived on the scene, they first noticed the presence of numerous vehicles parked in front of the residence.
Good players, the agents “politely requested the cooperation of the occupants of the premises to put an end to the gathering in progress, inviting them to leave without further consequences”. However, they were met with a categorical refusal.
“The owners have rather chosen categorically to refuse any collaboration with the agents asking them to go and get a warrant,” indicated the Régie de police de Memphrémagog.
The police then contacted a justice of the peace to obtain an entry warrant, which they obtained a few hours later.
The police therefore returned to the scene around 9:30 p.m. and put an end to the rally.
A total of 14 people were still inside the house, 13 adults and a teenager.
For them, the party was over.
Fourteen cases of violations of the Public Health Act will be submitted over the next few days to the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions.
Adult offenders should all be fined $1,558, while the teenager should be fined $561.