Trial for former Stratford business owner pushed back

Kevin Larson in a 2020 interview with CTV Kitchener.

The first trial for a former Stratford restaurant owner has been pushed back two days.

Kevin Larson is facing assault and fraud charges, both involving his former partner at ‘The Hub.’

On Tuesday, the Crown withdrew one of the fraud charges and moved Larson’s trial on the assault charge to Sept. 19.

Larson is also facing multiple fraud-related charges in connection to his business operations. A trial date has not been set on those charges.

Larson’s charges

Larson’s charges date from 2015 to 2023 and involve six victims.

They include nine counts of using of a forged document or a document with a forged signature, while the other charges are for filing tax returns in a victim’s name as the director of a business.

One of the charges alleges Larson defrauded an investor of $138,000 by using the money without their knowledge or permission.

Guilty plea to one charge

Larson entered a guilty plea to one charge in a Stratford court back in June.

He plead guilty to breaching a court-ordered condition in the charges related to his former partner.

According to the court, Larson sent an email on May 18, 2023 to his ex-wife, related to money being owed to a creditor.

Larson agreed the email breached the condition not to contact his former partner who is a plaintiff in some of the charges brought against Larson.

His lawyer, Bruce Ritter, added the email was professional in nature, but did violate the terms of his conditions.