Southeast N.B. man accused of personation of RCMP officer to seek bail

New BrunswickA southeastern New Brunswick man accused of possessing stolen RCMP equipment and attempting to personate a police officer is seeking bail.Daniel Downey faces more than 20 gun, threats and arson chargesShane Magee · CBC News · Posted: Sep 05, 2025 1:56 PM EDT | Last Updated: 34 minutes agoRCMP searches of two Pointe-du-Chêne, N.B., homes in August led to seizures of firearms, police uniforms, lights and other equipment. (RCMP/Submitted)A southeastern New Brunswick man accused of possessing stolen RCMP equipment and attempting to personate a police officer is seeking bail.Daniel Ray Downey, 58, faces 23 charges that include: possessing weapons for a dangerous purpose, uttering threats to harm several people, conspiring to commit an offence, attempting to commit an offence, arson, as well as conspiring and attempting to personate a peace officer with equipment and uniforms.The Pointe-du-Chêne man briefly appeared in Moncton provincial court on Friday morning for a bail hearing.Defence lawyer Dustin Caissie said he had just been retained to represent Downey and asked for the hearing to be moved to Sept. 10. “Hopefully it should proceed at that time,” the lawyer said.Downey remains in custody and has yet to enter a plea on the charges. New Brunswick RCMP said in a news release last month that officers from the Shediac detachment responded Aug. 26 to a report that a person possessed a retired police car, police uniforms and other equipment, and intended to commit crimes while personating a police officer. Personating a peace officer is a charge under the Criminal Code of Canada. Police say officers carried out searches of two homes in Pointe-du-Chêne. Downey was arrested at one of the homes.RCMP say officers seized two firearms, pieces of police uniforms, a Ford Taurus, radios, lights and sirens. Downey was initially charged on Aug. 27 and additional charges were laid on Aug. 29.On Friday, New Brunswick RCMP told CBC News that Downey “has never worked for the RCMP and has no association with the organization.”ABOUT THE AUTHORShane Magee is a Moncton-based reporter for CBC.