THUNDER BAY — Charges against two men arrested in connection to a kidnapping and assault of a male victim in Nipigon related to the case of Alyssa Turnbull’s disappearance have been withdrawn.
A preliminary hearing for Jayson Lawson-Balodis and Harold Sault opened last December and continued this week.
In a Thunder Bay courtroom on Friday, the charges against the two men related to the incident in Nipigon in September 2020 were withdrawn at the request of the Crown.
There is a publication ban in place protecting the identity of the complainant and any witnesses involved in the hearing.
The charges against Lawson-Balodis that were withdrawn include nine firearm related offences, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and assault with a weapon.
Lawson-Balodis was found guilty of possessing a prohibited or restricted firearm or ammunition while being under a prohibition order and failure to surrender license or registration documentation. He received a sentence of time served with credit for 365 days of pre-sentence custody.
Sault also had seven firearm related offences, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and assault with a weapon charges withdrawn.
Lawson-Balodis and Sault were originally charged by the Ontario Provincial Police on Sept. 14, 2020 following an incident the previous night involving the kidnapping and assault of a male victim.
The victim had to be transported to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre for treatment of his injuries.
Billy Thompson and Andrew Otway were also charged in the incident. The charges against Thompson remain before the courts.
Otway, who is the brother of Alyssa Turnbull and nephew of Lawson-Balodis, pleaded guilty in November 2021 to several charges including kidnapping with a prohibited weapon and aggravated assault and he was sentenced to six years in custody minus time served.
Turnbull has been missing since April 2020 and was last seen in the Nipigon area. The OPP believe foul play is involved in her disappearance but despite extensive search efforts, Turnbull has not been located and her case is still being treated as a missing person.
The OPP have since made two arrests in connection to Turnbull’s disappearance. Brian Soos and his son Nicholas Soos were arrested in June 2022 and charged with committing an indignity to human remains and obstruction of justice.
A $50,000 reward is still being offered for any information that results in the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in Turnbull’s disappearance or aids police in locating her.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or their local police service. Police will follow up on any information provided, regardless of how insignificant it may seem.
Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a tip online at ontariocrimestoppers.ca/submit-a-tip/submit-a-tip.
