A scriptable plot in which an American couple was kidnapped and held captive for two days came to a head Monday morning when the defendant, Gary Arnold, 54, was sentenced to 13 years in prison. If one deducts the previous preventive detention, the man still has to serve 9 years in prison.
In September 2020, the elderly couple from Moira, New York, were forcibly taken to Quebec by a group of kidnappers, including Gary Arnold, to demand ransom. They had covered the heads of seventy-year-olds James and Sandra Helm, the couple had been pushed into a vehicle and illegally taken to Canada through the Akwesasne Reservation.
They were then transported by boat to Valleyfield and then by car to Magog, where they were held for two days.
The pair were eventually found and rescued by the SQ response team. Several kidnappers were identified, including Lawrence Martin Thomas (he was sentenced to 7 years in prison) and George Dritsas (he was sentenced to 6 years in prison), in addition to Gary Arnold.
According to the Crown, the couple were used as bargaining chips in a failed cocaine deal in which their grandson was involved. The kidnappers primarily wanted to trade the couple for money or drugs.
The crown asked for 17 years in prison.
Remember that Gary Arnold faced a jury trial in which he was found guilty of taking part in the kidnapping of the couple. Mr. Arnold has a criminal history of contraband tobacco.