Jerrold Cotton, the former head of the fire department in Collingwood Corner, N.S., was relieved of his duties following the tragic death of a snowmobiler in February. Recently, Cotton has been charged with impaired driving and obstructing a peace officer in New Brunswick after crashing his vehicle on May 4 along Highway 2 near Sackville, N.B. Reports from the RCMP indicate that officers at the scene discovered open alcohol containers in Cotton’s vehicle and observed signs of intoxication. Cotton, the sole occupant of the vehicle, faced these charges during a court appearance on August 29 in Moncton provincial court.
This incident occurred shortly after Cotton was involved in a collision with a snowmobiler named Blake Nicholson on Wyvern Road in Collingwood Corner. Nicholson, aged 28, tragically lost his life after being struck by a fire truck that had been dispatched to assist him. The snowmobiler had crashed while snowmobiling in Collingwood Corner on the evening of February 21. Despite efforts to revive him, Nicholson succumbed to his injuries shortly after the incident.
In response to these events, the community questioned the handling of the situation and the actions of Cotton. Greg Herrett, the CAO of the Municipality of Cumberland, revealed that Cotton had not been forthcoming about his involvement in the collision with Nicholson and had failed to disclose the seizure of the fire truck by the police. Additionally, it was noted that Cotton had responded to an emergency call shortly after the incident, despite public statements indicating otherwise. This led to Cotton and his deputy, Andrea Bishop, being discharged and banned from the fire hall for life, with new protocols and consequences being put in place by the municipality.
Following these developments, Cotton is set to return to Moncton provincial court on October 17 to address the recent impaired driving charges. The investigation into the collision between the fire truck and Nicholson remains ongoing, with no charges laid as of yet. The RCMP have seized both vehicles involved in the incident. Concerns have been raised about Cotton’s previous conviction for impaired driving in a fire truck in 2020, resulting in fines and driving restrictions. The community and council members have been seeking accountability and transparency in light of these unfortunate events.
