He stole everything from piggy banks to his victims’ sense of security.
His crime spree netted him more than $45,000 and led to a police investigation that lasted more than a year.
Those are some of the reasons The Guardian has chosen the man known as the “screencutter” as its Newsmaker of the Year for 2016.
He stole everything from piggy banks to his victims’ sense of security.
His crime spree netted him more than $45,000 and led to a police investigation that lasted more than a year.
Those are some of the reasons The Guardian has chosen the man known as the “screencutter” as its Newsmaker of the Year for 2016.
Before his arrest in August, many Islanders had never heard of Richard Joseph Arsenault.
He was a former boxer and mixed martial artist who by day ran a gym, worked with kids and gave boxing lessons to people with Parkinson’s disease.
By night, Arsenault broke into homes in the Charlottetown area, cutting screens on their windows and sometimes hitting the same place more than once.
Wayne Thibodeau, regional managing editor with The Guardian, said no one story carried as much intrigue as the story of P.E.I.’s so-called “screencutter.”
For Arsenault’s victims, the image of a masked man revealing nothing more than his piercing eyes will haunt them for years, Thibodeau said.
“What struck me during our coverage of the so-called ‘screencutter’ was Crown attorney Valerie Moore’s request that Arsenault acknowledge responsibility for one break-in in particular to give peace of mind to the children who were his victims.
“This story had a profound impact not only on Arsenault’s victims, but the province as a whole. Every report of yet another break and enter further shook us. That’s why The Guardian’s editorial board picked the ‘screencutter’ as The Guardian’s Newsmaker of 2016.”
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Arsenault’s crime spree led the RCMP and Charlottetown police to create a joint task force.
It also led police to give regular reminders for people to lock up their home and even saw the RCMP conduct a door-to-door sweep in Stratford asking men to provide voluntary DNA samples.
That all came to an end with Arsenault’s arrest and eventual sentencing to nine years in prison after he pleaded guilty to six charges.
Some of the other contenders for newsmaker of the year included the Hells Angels who set up a clubhouse in a residential neighbourhood in Charlottetown in December, marking their arrival in P.E.I.
Another compelling story happened in June when The Guardian helped reunite Francis Menard with his mother, Melanie Cantwell, after she gave him up for adoption as a baby 24 years ago. Menard’s story continued this month as he shared his excitement about being able to spend his first Christmas with his birth mother.
Senator Mike Duffy continued to make headlines, including when his court case came to an end in April with a judge clearing him of all charges related to the senate spending scandal.
Premier Wade MacLauchlan was also in the headlines throughout the year at the centre of many high-profile stories from electoral reform to possible changes in P.E.I.’s education system.
But it was the “screencutter” break-ins that kept many Islanders worried about whether or not they would be his next victims.
For Tracey Warren, who had an encounter with a man on her porch in the dark while the “screencutter” investigation was underway, the court case has brought some closure.
Although Arsenault wasn’t charged in connection with the incident at her home, Warren said she was glad to learn the “screencutter” wasn’t someone she knew.
Despite all that, Warren said it has had a lasting impact on her children.
“The loss of sense of safety, that will never come back,” she said.
Warren was in court when Arsenault turned to apologize to any victims who were in the courtroom and said he wanted to return and be part of the community after his release.
“I near had chills,” Warren said.
On the day Arsenault was sentenced, RCMP Sgt. Leanne Butler said his conviction will go a long way toward restoring peace of mind for people in the community.
“Everyone’s still talking about this. It was a big worry on people’s mind the last couple of years, so to have this done I think it does,” she said.
Past Guardian Newsmakers
- 1993: Premier Catherine Callbeck*
- 1994: Provincial government's 7 1/2 per cent public sector wage rollback*
- 1995: Bombing of P.E.I. Legislature*
- 1996: Charlottetown Mayor Ian Tex MacDonald
- 1997: Confederation Bridge
- 1998: Summerside police officer David Griffin
- 1999: Lorie Kane
- 2000: Lorie Kane
- 2001: Blair Ross, workers' compensation protest
- 2002: Lucille Poulin
- 2003: Robert Ghiz
- 2004: Brad Richards
- 2005: Jared Connaughton and Mark MacDonald, tie
- 2006: Premier Pat Binns
- 2007: Premier Robert Ghiz
- 2008: Lucy Maud Montgomery
- 2009: Baby Lillian
- 2010: Heather Moyse (Olympic gold medal)
- 2011: Royal visit by Prince William and Kate
- 2012: The Impaired Driver
- 2013: Senator Mike Duffy
- 2014: The ‘year” 2014 (150th anniversary of Charlottetown Conference)
- 2015: Mike Duffy
- 2016: “Screencutter”
*Editor's note: For the years 1993, 1994 and 1995, The Guardian only selected a Newsmaker of the Year. In 1996, to comply with The Canadian Press selection method, The Guardian began selecting both a Newsmaker of the Year (usually a person) and a News Story of the Year (usually an event or series of events).
