U.S. BOUNTY HUNTERS SENTENCED IN KIDNAPPING

Eganville Man Was Taken Across Border

A pair of American bounty hunters who plucked a man from the Ottawa Valley
village of Golden Lake have received fines and jail for trying to smuggle
the Canadian across the border.

Reginald Bailey and Robert Carden Roberts hunted for Kenny Weckwerth in his
home town of Eganville and nearby Golden Lake in mid-November. In an
appearance in a U.S. court later that month, they admitted to attempting to
trick border officials when they tried to take Mr. Weckwerth back to Ohio,
where he was wanted for breaking bail conditions on drug charges.

Yesterday, in Buffalo, New York, Magistrate Judge Leslie G. Foschio handed
Mr. Roberts, a licensed bail bondsman, a six-month jail sentence and a
$25,000 fine. Mr. Bailey was given a one-year sentence and a $10,000 fine.

"In terms of relationships between Canada and the United States, this is
clearly the appropriate outcome," Marty Littlefield, an assistant U.S.
attorney in Buffalo, said yesterday in a telephone interview. "Every United
States citizen has an obligation to respect the international nature of the
relationship between the United States and Canada, and no one should
violate the sovereignty of Canada for their own ends."

Armed with a picture of Mr. Weckwerth, the bounty hunters tracked the
60-year-old drifter to his girlfriend's house on an Algonquin First Nations
reserve. They handcuffed him and headed to a border crossing at Niagara
Falls, where, as the men told the judge, they tried to sneak him past
border officials. Their guilty pleas carried maximum sentences of one year
in jail and a $100,000 fine.

Mr. Roberts' lawyer, Andrew LoTempio, said yesterday the sentence his
client received was "extremely harsh" and "unexpected."

Mr. Roberts, an Ohio native, had no previous criminal record and had
practised as a bail bondsman without problems since 1989, Mr. LoTempio
said. "What he did, if it was in Ohio, would have been legal."

The lawyer said there were disagreements with what Mr. Weckwerth had told
authorities. "We don't believe that anyone should have believed everything
that he said," Mr. LoTempio said.

Mr. LoTempio's client was allowed to voluntarily surrender after receiving
the sentence, while Mr. Bailey was immediately taken into custody.

Mr. Bailey's lawyer refused to comment, but Mr. Littlefield said Mr. Bailey
had a previous criminal record that included assault charges.

The two bounty hunters worked for a private bail bond company in the U.S.,
where accused criminals can hire such companies to put up thousands of
dollars to receive bail.

The companies get their money back as long as the accused continues to
attend court. Companies stand to lose their money when an accused flees, so
bounty hunters are sent to track down anyone who runs off.

In November, federal agents would not allow Mr. Weckwerth, who had twice
been deported from the U.S., into the country. Mr. Bailey and Mr. Roberts
somehow convinced Mr. Weckwerth to say he was a U.S. citizen.

Mr. Weckwerth told agents he had lost his wallet during a visit to Casino
Niagara, where Mr. Roberts had said the three "friends" had stayed. The
story unravelled when agents found Mr. Weckwerth's wallet containing his
Canadian identification. The wallet had been placed inside a map beneath a
passenger seat.

The judge mentioned the issue of enforcing the law while violating it, said
Mr. Littlefield. He said the judge also said the case had caused
international ripples.

After Mr. Weckwerth was grabbed, Ontario Provincial Police issued a warrant
for the bounty hunters' arrest on charges related to break and enter,
kidnapping and confinement. OPP Det. Colin Reinke said yesterday police are
currently getting extradition applications to have the men face Canadian
charges.

Mr. Weckwerth was moved from the U.S. to the West Toronto Detention Centre
in late November. He is now being held at the Ottawa Carleton Detention
Centre, and is scheduled to make a court appearance soon, his family said
yesterday.

"He's anxious to get out," said Mr. Weckwerth's girlfriend, Madeline
Granzie, adding that she thought the sentences given to the hunters could
have been stiffer.

Mr. Weckwerth's brother, Brian Weckwerth, said of the sentences: "I don't
think it was worth their trip up to Golden Lake."