St. Thomas neighbourhood sealed off as police arrest wanted man

A dramatic scene played out in a residential neighbourhood in St. Thomas Wednesday, as police arrested a man wanted on outstanding warrants.

A portion of Aldborough Avenue was locked down for about three hours beginning at around 8:30 in the morning, with police bearing down on a home between Massey Dr. and Leger Ave.

Neighbour Les Callahan, who described himself as a life-long resident of St. Thomas, was disturbed by the goings-on. "It’s getting worse and worse in this town,” said Callahan. “They need to do something about it. Someone needs to step in and start putting people in jail and keeping them there."

The scene played out through the morning, with residents in the sealed of part of the street unable to leave their homes.

Police officers with firearms and shields could be seen surrounding the property. A police canine unit was also on-site. One neighbour, who wanted to remain anonymous, said it’s not uncommon to see police activity at the address at the centre of the investigation.

Police in St. Thomas have closed Aldborough Avenue between Massey Drive and Leger Avenue. Jan. 11, 2023. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)"We’ve seen lots of police activity over the time that we’ve lived here," she said. "And there’s times where the police have been there a couple of days. And just questionable things, and characters we see. So we just try to keep an eye on it, like Neighbourhood Watch."

Roughly three hours would pass before a police SUV backed into the driveway and parked along the side of the house.

A short time later it pulled away with a suspect inside.

Police confirmed that 40-year-old Christopher Menard was taken into custody with charges pending.

"Everyone is safe in this incident, and it went down without any problems whatsoever," said St. Thomas Police Const. Katherine McNeil. "There’s no safety concerns, and everyone living in that area can rest assured that they’re safe, and the area is safe."

Police had been seeking the suspect for some time. On January fourth police put out a release saying Christopher Menard was wanted on three outstanding arrest warrants.

Menard was expected to appear in court Wednesday.