Whitby man charged with threatening men with shotgun

A Whitby man is accused of threatening three men with a shotgun after they came to evict him from his home.

The trio arrived before 1 p.m. to enforce the eviction of the man from his home near Thornton Road North and Winchester Road West. The rural area sits in Whitby’s northern reaches between Brooklin and Oshawa’s Windfields district.

While the men were in the home, the resident allegedly produced a shotgun and threatened the trio with it, according to Durham Police. The three then left the home and called the cops.

By the time officers arrived, the man had barricaded himself inside the home. The officers set up a perimeter around the home and shut down area roads. They engaged in “lengthy” negotiations for the man to surrender. Police did not specify how long this took.

After these negotiations, the man did surrender and was arrested without further incident. In the home, officers found the shotgun, a rifle and ammunition. No one was reported injured.

Steven Rejean Cote, 64 of Whitby, is charged with:

• nine counts of possession of a firearm without a licence,
• two counts of careless use of a firearm,
• two counts of possession of a firearm with ammunition,
• two counts of possession of a prohibited device,
• uttering threats, and
• assault with a weapon

Cote remains in custody pending a bail hearing. Anyone with information can call police at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 1832 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).