‘We don’t lock our doors around here,’ says local resident — but that changed this week amid unsettling police presence just down the road
Joyce Stocking hadn’t locked the doors to her small rural home outside Huntsville in nearly 15 years — until this week.
That changed in recent days after learning police were searching a property just a few hundred yards away in connection to an ongoing investigation in Barrie.
“I had heard there was a police presence, but I hadn’t seen anything myself,” she said Friday of the property being searched by investigators, located farther down a mostly dirt and gravel road.
BarrieToday visited the Huntsville scene — located in a rural area about 140 kilometres north of Barrie — on Aug. 8 and found one black-and-white Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) vehicle parked in an open area. A second unmarked police vehicle was stationed a few yards away in a slightly more secluded area on the outskirts of the property, close to the road.
Orange ribbons marked with the letters O-P-P were attached to several branches, marking the area where police have been set up for the last week.
No other activity could be seen from the road, however officers were farther into the wooded area of the property.
While information remains limited since Barrie police began investigating at an Anne Street homeless encampment on July 30, OPP officials issued a public advisory on X on Aug. 5, letting residents know of a significant police presence in the Huntsville area.
Police Presence in Huntsville
A significant police presence is currently in the area of Yearly Road near Cardwell Lake Road in Huntsville. The #OPP is assisting @BarriePolice with an ongoing investigation.
✅ No road closures are in effect
✅ No threat to public safety
We… pic.twitter.com/yvjnG6cCo5
— OPP Central Region (@OPP_CR) August 5, 2025
According to the post, officers were in the area of Yearley Road, near Cardwell Lake Road, located about 25 minutes outside of Huntsville, and were assisting Barrie police with their investigation.
When contacted for additional information, media relations officers for Central Region OPP directed BarrieToday back to the social-media post.
Phil Lamb has lived on Etwell Road, just a few kilometres away from the Huntsville scene, for more than 70 years. He told BarrieToday that he saw one of the Barrie police battenburg-style vehicles at the property Sunday night.
“I thought maybe they’d brought the dogs in,” he said, adding many people assumed it was connected to an investigation following a shooting and fire in nearby Bracebridge.
The Huntsville property has changed hands several times in recent years, he said, most recently about two years ago after it was logged by previous owners. He said he doesn’t know who owns it now.
Lamb said the lack of information being shared by both police agencies is a bit unsettling, but added he doesn’t feel unsafe.
“I have my two dogs with me, although they’d probably lick you to death,” he joked.
Exactly what officers are searching for on the nearly 100-acre parcel of land on Yearley Road remains unknown. However, officials with both Barrie police and the OPP have confirmed it’s in connection with the investigation that has been taking place at the Anne Street homeless encampment.
A nearly 100-acre parcel of land on Yearley Road in the Huntsville area was being searched by investigators on Friday as part of an ongoing Barrie police investigation. | Nikki Cole/BarrieToday
Police have been at the Barrie encampment, near Anne and John streets, since July 30. That scene was released by police Friday afternoon.
Stocking said news of the investigation so close to home is disconcerting.
“We don’t lock our doors around here. Nobody does. It’s weird,” she said. “The one thing that I was really curious about is that they announced there was this police presence, but there was no threat to the public … and then we didn’t hear anything.
“Tuesday was the first time I have locked my doors in … I can’t remember how long.”
The Huntsville property where police are searching is just over two kilometres away from the Yearley Community Centre, a small cemetery and the Yearley Outdoor Education Centre. There are approximately two dozen homes in the immediate area.
Another local resident, who stopped to speak to a police officer stationed at the scene, said he hunted on the property, but declined to be interviewed.
Robert Ladouceur, 52, has been identified by Barrie police as the “primary suspect” in the investigation. Described as being potentially “armed and dangerous,” he was arrested Aug. 2 in Midland, about 45 minutes north of Barrie.
An inquiry to Southern Georgian Bay OPP, which handles policing in Midland, was also referred back to Barrie police.
Earlier today in Barrie, heavy equipment began to arrive at the Anne Street encampment. Temporary fencing has now been placed around the site.
City of Barrie officials also confirmed to BarrieToday that the encampment area has been turned back over to the municipality following the police investigation.
The city says the Anne Street site has been secured and staff are “anticipating the need for significant cleanup.”
The city also requested the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) attend the site to conduct an inspection. Those results are pending.
Court records show Ladouceur, 52, is currently facing 19 charges, including multiple counts of careless use of a firearm, unauthorized use of a firearm, possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm with ammunition, careless use and storage of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a firearm, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, and flight from a peace officer.
None of the allegations have been tested in court.
Ladouceur, known to some members of the community as “Tattoo Rob,” has had two court appearances this week and remains in custody at the Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene.
On Thursday, the assistant Crown attorney requested the matter be brought back to Barrie video remand on Wednesday, Aug. 13.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
July 30 — Barrie police begin investigation at homeless encampment near Anne and John streets.
Aug. 1 — Barrie police release Ladouceur’s name, as well as photos, indicating he is the “primary suspect” in an ongoing investigation at a homeless camp in Barrie. He is said to be possibly “armed and dangerous.”
Aug. 2 — Ladouceur is arrested in Midland.
Aug. 5 — Ladouceur appears in Barrie court for a bail hearing, which is pushed up two days. Barrie police say detectives from the major crime unit are still present at the local homeless camp, in addition to a location in Huntsville.
Aug. 6 — The Barrie Food Bank issues a letter to clients, staff and volunteers, telling them to “expect the worst,” even though police have released few details. The food bank is located adjacent to the area cordoned off by police.
Aug. 7 — Ladouceur, known to some members of the community as “Tattoo Rob,” appears via video link from the Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene for a second bail hearing, which is pushed to Aug. 13.
Aug. 8 — Heavy equipment begins to arrive at the site in Barrie, including several city vehicles and a backhoe. Ministry of the Environment officials are also on scene for an inspection. City police announce investigators have released the scene back to the City of Barrie. Police remain on scene at the Huntsville site.