Man claims innocence in Winnipeg explosives charges
Posted August 22, 2023 6:13 pm.
Winnipeg Police have charged a man with explosives-related offences after four Molotov cocktails were seized by officers here in the 400 block of Redwood Avenue. But the man being held responsible for the crime — and some around him — say the charge may have been rooted in a misunderstanding.
Brendan Hines, is facing four counts of unlawful possession of explosives. He says the Molotov cocktails were left behind by an evicted tenant of the building where he serves as caretaker, claiming he came across the makeshift firebombs in his duties, then forgot about them in a suite he says wasn’t his.
“We put them in a box. Put them away. Forgot. Someone called. I came after painting and my door was off the hinges and I was being arrested,” he explained.
Hines admits he’s had run-ins with police, but plans to fight these charges in court.
“For the matters I’ve done in my past, I’ve plead guilty to. This is one of the things I’m not going to plead guilty to.”
In a news release, Winnipeg police said officers responded to a suite following a report of numerous Molotov cocktails at the building, with officers immediately smelling kerosene upon their arrival.
“Within a building, within a suite, those are the type of smells we shouldn’t be smelling,” said Winnipeg police Const. Jason Michalyshen.
Const. Michalyshen says these types of calls are a high priority for police due to their risk to public safety, and officers responded quickly — with assistance from the bomb unit in this case — which he says is not being taken lightly.
“If items are put together in a fashion where an incendiary device is created, specifically an explosive device, such as a Moltov cocktail, clearly there’s a public safety concern and individuals can be prosecuted — not only for the manufacturing of these items — but also, for being in possession of them, regardless of what their intent ultimately might be.”
Michalyshen says while there have been past instances of Moltov cocktails in Winnipeg, the homemade bombs are not common.
“This is not something we deal with on a weekly basis — or even a monthly basis for that matter.”
However, he says while instances like this are few, members of the public should alert authorities if they’re concerned about such devices being constructed.
“We certainly don’t want them to take matters into their. First and foremost, they should be calling 911.”
Winnipeg Police said they could not comment on Hines concerns that the charges are rooted in a misunderstanding, as the charges are now before the courts.
As for Hines, “Mentally and physically, I’m at a loss for words.”
