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PRELIMINARY HEARING DATES TO BE SET IN WHEATLEY CASE

TARA GESNER tgesner@metroland.com

A Carleton Place man accused in an alleged tiny home scam was back in Perth court on May 9.

Richard Wheatley, who is self-represented, appeared before justice of the peace Jacques Desjardins, with the proceedings conducted virtually. Robert Corbella spoke for the provincial Crown.

Wheatley is charged with nine counts of fraud over $5,000, fraud under $5,000, eight counts of theft over $5,000, theft under $5,000 and obstruction of a peace officer. These charges, which relate to deposits made for the construction of tiny homes that were never built, have not been proven in court.

As noted during Wheatley's first court appearance on April 12, 2021, the Crown is proceeding by indictment.

Under the Criminal Code of Canada, indictable offences are the most serious, such as murder, aggravated assault and fraud/ theft over $5,000. An individual charged with an indictable offence with maximum penalties of 14 years or more incarceration is entitled to a preliminary hearing.

At a court appearance on April 11, 2022, Wheatley signified he was looking for a preliminary hearing to be set.

During a preliminary hearing, the Crown calls its evidence against the accused, which is typically done through witnesses who take the stand and testify. At the conclusion, if the court thinks there is not enough evidence to have a trial, the accused is discharged. However, if the court believes there is enough evidence, it commits the accused to trial.

Wheatley has a trial scheduling conference on May 12 at 9:30 a.m. to set preliminary hearing dates. The Crown estimated the time needed for the preliminary hearing to be three days.

Lanark County Ontario Provincial Police and the Lanark County OPP Crime Unit pressed charges against Wheatley in March 2021, in the wake of a major fraud investigation that commenced in November 2019.

According to police, 10 separate victims from areas across Ontario were identified by way of the investigation, with a total reported loss of more than $500,000.

Wheatley co-owned Planet Structures Ltd., a Carleton Place-based company building tiny homes.

The accused is back in Perth court on June 6 at 9 a.m.

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2022-05-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

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