A man deemed a significant risk to public safety was back in police custody – just one day after he was released. Kevin Koehler plead guilty to manslaughter for the 2013 choking death of his roommate, Mary Anne May. On Oct. 16, a warning was issued by the Waterloo Regional Police Service following Koehler’s release from prison. They advised the public that the now 60-year-old would be living in Kitchener. “Koehler has an extensive criminal history of violent offence convictions including criminal negligence causing death, assault with weapon, assault, and assault police,” it read. A person who has served their sentence is typically released without conditions. That was not what happened with Koehler. Waterloo Regional Police said their Offender Management Unit, in cooperation with the Crown Attorney, made a request to place conditions on Koehler due to his violent past. “The police can and do, on occasion, although not really commonly, resort to Section 810,” explained criminal defence lawyer Kim Schofield. “That allows for a period of anywhere between one to three years. Depends on what the concern is. And there are conditions attached to that.” The Parole Board of Canada expressed concerns about Koehler’s behaviour during one of his last stints in a halfway home. In one incident, he became agitated and referred to his victim in “derogatory terms.” Koehler also reenacted choking May by putting his hand on his own neck while describing the events of 2013. The board also noted that the same night, he got into a fight with another resident of the halfway house after the resident’s female friend approached him. “There were some rather disturbing comments and actions, made specifically in relation to the last offense,” Schofield said, adding that the courts sometimes have to work backwards. “Maybe in hindsight, the Crown would say, ‘Well, maybe we should have applied for a long-term offender or a dangerous offender on this person,’ but you can’t do that post facto. We don’t want to wait for someone to commit a further offense, obviously. I think this is a measured approach, and the conditions can be as varied as the concerns are.” Prior to his release, Koehler signed a recognizance to the keep the peace, It included conditions he had to follow for the next 18 months, including: notifying authorities immediately of any change of address, making no attempt to contact directly or indirectly any past victims or their family or witnesses in the cases in he was convicted. Koehler was also to remain in his residence between 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. and abstain from purchasing or consuming any alcoholic beverage or controlled substances unless prescribed by a physician. On Friday, the day after his release, officers arrested Koehler after he allegedly breached his conditional release to abstain from purchasing or consuming alcohol or controlled substances. “The charge is a breach of recognizance,” Schofield explained. “You’re charged with breaching that peace bond and then there’ll be a hearing to see if, in fact, that has happened.” Schofield said if Koehler did breach his conditions he could be placed on probation or return to jail for up to six months. Koehler was remanded into custody and was set to appear in a Kitchener courtroom on Monday.
