SQLFusion - Former Justice of the Peace charged

Keith Jodoin

(Keith Ernest Jodoin)

Former Justice of the Peace, former Executive Director of United Way, Roman Catholic and parishioner at St. Columban's in Cornwall.

Charged August 2000 with sexual assault of 21-year-old Marc Carriere. Charges withdrawn November 2000 - Marc understood because there was "no reasonable prospect of prosecution."

Media Coverage from Inquiry

12 September 2007: Witness tells Cornwall inquiry he was 'part of the problem’ : Shredded documents at courthouse

Articles of Interest

Man 70, charged with sex assault

The Ottawa Citizen

25 August 2000

Project Truth officers yesterday wrapped up their long-running investigation with the arrest of a 70-year-old Long Sault man for an alleged sexual assault that dates back 15 years.

The charges stem from a complaint that a 21-year-old man had been sexually assaulted in 1985.

Keith Ernest Jodoin, 70, of Sunset Drive, Island 17, Long Sault, is charged with one count of sexual assault. He is scheduled to appear in Cornwall court on Sept. 18. Since its inception in 1997, Project Truth has seen 15 people charged with 115 counts of various sexual crimes.

Portions of Notes re Charges against Keith Jodoin from Dick Nadeu’s ProjectTruth2 website

On Thursday August 24th, Keith Jodoin, the Executive Director of the United Way for many years, was charged and arrested by Project Truth OPP officers on one count of sexual assault on a male who was 21 years old at that time, some fifteen years ago. Some have said that because of his age, how could a sexual assault occur. He was old enough to defend himself. This man was at that time, a student and working a Summer job placement in Keith Jodoin’s office when he was Justice of the Peace. He was asked to go with him to his house on Island 17 to do some work around the house.

Now put a 21 year old woman in that car instead of him. Throughout the drive she is sexually harassed with all kinds of sexual innuendo. Once the car is stopped, Keith lunges over and grabs her by the crotch and starts to feel her up. Would that consist of a sexual assault on a woman? Well, of course and that is what happened to him. He, shocked at the suddenness of the attack, fends him off and removes his hands. His work environment is now hostile and his contract for the balance of the Summer is not renewed. He tells his sister of the event and later that week, tells Keith’s secretary. The women in the office had joked and teased him when they found out that he was going to Island 17 with Keith. In essence, they told him to be careful.

. . . . . .

According to [Jodoin’s] neighbours, he always had these boys over to his house and he still does. And yes, they had concerns.

. . . . . .Keith Jodoin . . . managed the bowling alley at St. Columban’s Hall. Later he was promoted to manager of the Hall. He joined the Knights of Columbus and lo and behold, he becomes Justice of the Peace, an overnight sensation. With little education and no knowledge of the Law, he is now Justice of the Peace and Court Administrator until 1992 although he was on sick leave from 1989 on. It’s really hard to find information on Keith. The United Way had no bio, neither does the Standard Freeholder. No one seems to remember how he achieved his status from bowling alley manager to Justice. As a conservative, he is well connected politically but back then, he had no political connections except for the Diocese and the Knights. Another key posting for the pedophile clan. Is there any doubt now that the Justice system in Cornwall has been totally corrupted?

. . . . . Keith is a 4^th Degree Knight. Have you wondered why the United Way Board kept him on. Most of the male Board members are Knights. You can’t have 3^rd Degree Knights passing judgment on a 4^th Degree Knight. They are the priests’ protectors as well. They have sworn an oath never to talk against priests.

. . . . . . How much defense Keith will put up is unknown but the cards are stacked against him. During his stay in office for these many years, Keith suffered from a Nixon phobia. He apparently audio-taped just about everyone who came into his office and he did the same with telephone conversations. He has boxes of these tapes that he keeps moving around. Project Truth officers know about these tapes.

. . . . . This is what Jamie Bateman recalls: “On or about 1990-1992 I rented property from Joan Evason on Island 17. Joan is the past Executive Secretary to Keith Jodoin at the United Way. She called me once stating she was very afraid because Keith had asked her to hide audio tapes in her home. Keith stated that 'something big was about to happen and that his offices and home would be searched.' Joan told me that Keith said to her that he would not go down alone and that he had audio-tapes about everything. Joan stated to me that she and her then boyfriend, Mike, had listened to some of the tapes and they were terrible. Apparently, Mike, took the information to the O.P.P. in or around 1990-1995. At the time of the conversation with Joan, she asked me to hide the tapes for her. She then changed her mind."

More Portions of Notes re Charges against Keith Jodoin

from Dick Nadeu’s ProjectTruth2 website

Keith Jodoin has taken a leave of absence as Executive Director of the United Way. He stepped down pending the resolution of the sexual assault charge against him. I guess his getaway from the meeting several nights ago didn't impress to many people. He was shielding his face and ran directly into the back seat of a waiting car which sped away. For a minute, I thought I was watching John Gotti, the once-teflon don. These are not the actions of an innocent man. I wonder why the President resigned? Why doesn't he?

Getting to know Keith is difficult. No one has anything nice to say about him and don't want to be quoted. He is also from what I'm told very secretive and often given to paranoia but that didn't come as a surprise because of the tapes. I say that only for context.Keith's rise to fame came relatively quickly.

I'll try to be as accurate as possible, given the lack of information available. One of his first jobs was that of a helper and driver for Coca-Cola. He then moved on to manage the bowling alley and eventually St. Columban's Hall under the aegis of Mgsr. R.J MacDonald. After several years, he becomes Justice of the Peace and Court Administrator. This was a political appointment. In those days, Keith had no political connections. Therefore, to complete the syllogism, who put him there? What does he know about the law or the courts? How much education does he have that allows him to sit as a judge in his world? He taped everybody in order to use whatever he had to intimidate and manipulate people. He had to have control and be able to exert that control in order to shield his incompetence and his pedophile friends. In any event, he cracked up in court one day where he exhibited very aggressive and strange behaviour. He spent some time on 3rd South at the General and it was then that the tapes were moving around. He was eventually fired from that appointment. He fought to get it back but it looked like he had no friends left.

When he was appointed Justice of the Peace, he moved its headquarters into St. Columban's Hall waiting for 340 Pitt to be finished. He was Justice of the Peace and manager of St. Columban's Hal at the same time. Something transpired (no one wanted to talk about what happened) and he was fired as manager of the Hall. The guy just can't hold on to a job.

Keith has largely lived at the public trough. At any given time or at the same time, he was manager of the Hall, Justice of the Peace, Court Administrator, a member of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit, treasurer for the Cornwall Columbus Club , (that organization that only 4th degree Knights belong to) and Executive Director of the United Way. All paid positions with car allowances and the like. I don't understand why his position with the United Way is so hyped. From the people I've talked to, all he did was attend United Way Board and Campaign meetings but he always stole the spotlight when it came time for media pictures. He's not paid too bad for a part-time job. He gets a tax-free $1600. a year car allowance plus a salary of at least $25,000 per year plus whatever extras.

Well he did step down with pay of course, at your expense. I would like to know about the various treatment centres that he`s involved with in any capacity. . . .Keith has tapes and secrets that he will use to try and protect himself and possibly try to influence the outcome of his trial i.e. like getting the right judge etc. But then he might decide to destroy the evidence before the police come calling for the tapes. And then he would be just another emperor with no clothes on. Can you imagine that? I wonder what a kid imagines?

More notes from Dick Nadeau’s ProjectTruth2 website re charges against Keith Jodoin

21 September 11, 2000

I see where Keith Jodoin, our former Justice of the Peace, does not believe in the competency of our local legal community.. He has retained a very high profile lawyer from Ottawa to defend him. Michael Edelson is an expert in these kinds of cases. Didn't he represent Father Charlie at some time?

31 January 2007: Bits and Pieces: (Jodoin was the Justice of the Peace who put David Silmser on probation with Ken Seguin. As noted Jodoin was not only busy at St. Colmban's Parish Hall but was also a parishioner at St. Columban's. )