At 9 a.m. on July 23, a call was received at Cumberland District RCMP indicating a man was being threatened by another man who was holding a gun to his face, and that his daughters had been shot, and his vehicle had been set on fire. The man was reportedly calling from a home on Main St. in Joggins.

RCMP officers from Amherst, Oxford, Pugwash, Truro, and Police Dogs from New Minas and Port Hawkesbury were dispatched. Several members of Amherst Police Department also assisted with the response to this call, as well as volunteer firefighters from the area. In total nearly 20 police officers and several volunteer firefighters headed to the scene.

Police quickly determined that the call was coming from a residence in Amherst. Members of Amherst Police Department located the caller and arrested him at 10 a.m. On July 23. No one in Joggins was being threatened or injured as described in the initial call. Paul Dean Hicks, 46, of Amherst has been charged with Public Mischief. He appeared in Amherst Provincial Court on July 23 and was remanded. He is scheduled to return to court on August 22. The investigation is ongoing.

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Source : Media Release