A Queens County man is the latest victim of intimate partner violence in Nova Scotia, RCMP say. (RCMP)

RCMP have charged a man with second-degree murder in a domestic assault in Queens County in late March.

On March 28 at 3:30 a.m., Queens District RCMP and paramedics responded to a weapons call at a home in Mill Village.  

They found an 84-year-old man with life-threatening injuries after being stabbed. Another man fled earlier in a vehicle.

Officers arrested a suspect later that morning, at about 7:45 a.m. at a home in Voglers Cove.

Derek Dominix, 60, of Mill Village was charged then with attempted murder.

The 84-year-old man died on April 11 in hospital, where he had been since the attack.

The Nova Scotia medical examiner’s office ruled the death a homicide, according to an RCMP news release.

Police say it’s a case of intimate partner violence.

The Southwest Nova RCMP major crime unit took over the investigation and upgraded the attempted murder charge to second-degree murder on April 22.

Dominix remains in custody and will appear in Bridgewater provincial court on May 15, at 9:30 a.m.

This is the ninth person killed because of intimate partner violence in Nova Scotia since Oct. 18, 2024. Seven women have been killed in cases linked to their male partners. In one of those cases, a woman’s father was also killed.

An RCMP spokeswoman said they won’t be releasing the victim’s name.

Anyone experiencing, or at risk of, intimate partner violence can seek help anonymously by calling 211 or 1-855-225-0220.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Photo Ed Halverson

RCMP have charged a 60-year-old Mill Village man with attempted murder.

Queens District RCMP were called to a house on Hwy. 3 in Mill Village on March 28 at about 3:30 a.m.

Officers and ambulance personnel found an 84-year-old man with life-threatening injuries after being stabbed.

Another man had fled the scene before police arrived, according to an RCMP news release late Wednesday afternoon.

Both men knew each other, and no one else was in the home at the time of the assault.

Police arrested a suspect at a home in Voglers Cove at 7:45 p.m.

Derek Dominix, 60, has been charged with attempted murder and taken into custody. He’s scheduled to appear in Bridgewater provincial court on April 10 at 9:30 a.m.

A man from the Halifax area is dead after a crash in Pleasant River, Queens Co., on Friday. (RCMP)

A 44-year-old man from the Halifax region died on Friday after his vehicle left the road on Hwy. 208 in Pleasant River, Queens Co.

Queens District RCMP, fire and other emergency crews found a Mercedes Sprinter van in the ditch around the 4200 block of Hwy. 208.

The man was the lone occupant in the van. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The road was closed for several hours, but has reopened. RCMP continue to investigate, with a help of a collision reconstructionist.

(Photo via RCMP NS Facebook page)

RCMP are asking the public for any information about a fire that destroyed a seasonal residence in northern Queens County on Sunday afternoon.

Queens District RCMP say that police and firefighters from the Liverpool Fire Department, North Queens Fire Association and the Greenfield Fire Department responded at 2:15 p.m. to the blaze on Old Garden Road in Pleasantfield near the 1000 block.

The house was destroyed within minutes, police said in a Monday news release.

The cause of the fire is unknown. As part of the investigation, police are asking anyone with information or who was travelling on Old Garden Road before or at the time of the fire to contact Queens District RCMP at 902-354-5721. 

People can also leave an anonymous tip at Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submitting a secure tip online at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or by using the P3 Tips app.

Queens District RCMP plan to step up patrols in North Queens after complaints of underage off-highway vehicle use. (RCMP NS Facebook page)

RCMP in Queens County are cracking down on underage ATV operators in North Queens.

Queens District RCMP officers will be stepping up patrols in the area after getting numerous reports from residents over the past several weeks of minors illegally operating off-highway vehicles at high speeds and often late at night.

RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Carlie McCann says it’s all about safety.

“Members are making sure that there are police officers who are out there in order to enforce these laws, but also to ensure that people are being safe,” McCann said in an interview Monday.

“The big reason that laws like this exist is to make sure that people are safe when they’re out operating their off-highway vehicles and using the trails in our communities. So the biggest reason is to make sure that we aren’t seeing peple doing things that are unsafe on their OHVs.”

McCann did not know how many calls the RCMP received or in which specific areas of North Queens this is happening.

“Any type of report like this is too many when it’s unsafe behaviour, like driving too fast and at night. The number of calls that have been received have been enough to promote some concern.”

RCMP say that Queens County has no designated roads or highways yet listed under the Nova Scotia Off-Highway Vehicles Act. And operators must have a valid driver’s licence and wear helmets. Children between the ages of 6 and 15 must be supervised by a parent or guardian.

“I think the biggest thing to remember is that you have to be thinking about safety all the time on things like this,” McCann said.

“It’s really important to use common sense, so making sure that all riders have helmets, making sure that people are using (the vehicles) safely and know how to use them properly, making sure that your vehicles are well maintained and making sure that you are having common sense when you’re picking areas you’re riding in and picking who’s going to be driving the vehicles.”

Under the Off-Highway Vehicles Act, offenders can be fined up to $2,000 and have their vehicle seized by RCMP. 

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Listen below for the Aug. 19 news update

A 24-year-old Sable River man is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after fleeing an RCMP checkpoint early Saturday morning. (File photo from RCMP NS Facebook page)

An early-morning checkpoint and a flight from police have left a 24-year-old Sable River man in hospital with life-threatening injuries.

About 1 a.m on Saturday morning, Queens District RCMP officers had a checkpoint set up on Milton Road near Liverpool. A Volkswagen Golf approached and then made an abrupt U-turn to head north on Highway 8.

According to a news release, an RCMP officer immediately left the scene to try to stop the Golf.

RCMP spokesman Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay told QCCR on Monday that the cruiser was not involved in the crash. The officer found the car off the road and on its roof.

Along with the driver who was sent to hospital with life-threatening injuries, the car’s passenger was also injured. She is a 25-year-old woman from East Green Harbour. Her injuries were not life-threatening. 

Cpl. Tremblay did not have an update Monday on their conditions.

“Our officers will do checkpoints at random times throughout the day. From my experience, 1 a.m. is not abnormal. We often do checkponts through the night to conduct traffic enforcement such as impaired drivers that might be out there,” he said in an intervew.

“Oftentimes, there could be many reasons why someone may conduct a U-turn before a checkpoint. It could be a legitimate reason, but it could also be a reason because the person could be impaired, it could be because they don’t have a drivers licence, it could be because they’re wanted. And oftentimes our officers will then get in their vehicle and try to pull over the vehicle that proceeds with the U-turn.” 

Cpl. Tremblay did not know exactly where on the Milton Road the checkpoint was set up.

Highway 8 was closed for several hours, while a collision reconstructionist visited the scene. 

Cpl. Tremblay says officers continue to investigate.

“The investigation remains ongoing. That could involve criminal charges such as flight from police. The same goes for any impairment level. Our officers would be looking to obtain search warrants or warrants to seize any blood … just to determine if the person was impaired at the time of the crash or not.”

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

(Photo via RCMP NS Facebook page)

Queens District RCMP have charged two people with multiple charges after a break and enter in East Berlin that led to a drug seizure.

Officers responded to a call in progress on April 23 at 6:40 p.m. at a cottage on East Berlin Road. Initially, police were told the owner had gone to the cabin and found an unknown car in the driveway and at least one person inside the building.

RCMP arrested two people in the cottage: a 37-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman, both from Brooklyn.

They seized the pair’s vehicle, an Audi S4, and released the suspects while they investigated.

Officers executed a search warrant on the vehicle on June 4 and found bear mace, a knife, a machete, and drugs believe to be cocaine and crack cocaine, as well as drug paraphernalia.

James Mathew Stewart is charged with:

• break and enter with intent
• mischief under $5,000
• possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking
• three counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose 

Angel Dawn Patterson is charged with:

• break and enter with intent
• mischief under $5,000
• possession of a controlled substance

Both Stewart and Patterson are due to appear in Bridgewater provincial court on Aug. 28, at 9:30 a.m.

The house at 89 Main St. in Liverpool before fire destroyed it on May 13. RCMP say the fire was suspicious. (Top photo: Google Streetview; bottom photo: Rick Conrad)

Queens District RCMP are asking for the public’s help in investigating a ‘suspicious’ fire at 89 Main St. in Liverpool in May.

“In this case, because the investigation is ongoing, I can’t provide additional comments without jeopardizing the integrity of the investigation,” RCMP spokesman Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay told QCCR on Wednesday.

“But I can tell you from the information gathered, it does indicate it is suspicious in nature. And we are looking for tips from the public to advance the investigation.”

Fire services from around Queens County and RCMP officers responded to the fire at 4:40 a.m. on May 13. The historic house, known as the Hendry House, was abandoned at the time. Nobody was injured.

The Liverpool Fire Department referred it to the RCMP for investigation.

The blaze destroyed the house, which local historian Tim MacDonald said was built around 1893 and was owned by former Liverpool mayor, ship owner and businessman A.W. Hendry.

Firefighters tore down the remaining structure. The Region of Queens erected a fence around the property.

And on Tuesday, regional councillors voted to declare the site dangerous and unsightly. They gave the property owner seven days to clean it up.

According to Nova Scotia property records, 89 Main St. is owned by Rosemarie Jacob. It’s one of 14 properties she owns in Liverpool, Brooklyn, Italy Cross, Lunenburg Co., and East Baccaro, Shelburne Co.

If Jacob does not appeal the municipal cleanup order by June 18, the municipality will do it and charge the cost to her as a lien on the property.

There are two mailing addresses listed for Jacob in property records. One is a post office box in Brooklyn. The other is a PO box in Liverpool.

Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman said Tuesday that Jacob is hard to find.

“Staff have used every avenue they have to contact the owner. However, unfortunately, that owner leaves very little contact information. We have simply been unable to contact the owner.”

RCMP are asking anyone with information about the fire to contact Queens District RCMP at 902-354-5721. If you want to remain anonymous, call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips app.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Listen to the audio version of this story below