Accused charged after cocaine found in body cavity
A Glace Bay man who is alleged to have tried to smuggle cocaine into the Cape Breton Correctional Centre is now scheduled to enter pleas later this month.
Craig Joseph O’Neill, 51, of Norwood Street is charged with three counts of breaching court orders and single counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking in cocaine and mischief.
The offences are alleged to have occurred Jan. 5.
O’Neill appeared in provincial court on that date and was scheduled for a trial but instead pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching court orders and single counts of fraud and uttering a threat.
He was ordered remanded pending sentence on March 1.
Prior to entering the courthouse on Charlotte Street in Sydney, O’Neill is alleged to have caused damaged to a parked vehicle on the street which resulted in charges of mischief and breaching a court order by failing to be of good behavior.
After being remanded and arriving at the correctional centre in Reserve Mines, O’Neill was subject to a search as part of normal protocols at the facility. The cocaine was discovered in a body cavity.
The discovery resulted in the trafficking charge and two additional breaches for failing to refrain from possessing illegal drugs and failing to be of good behavior.
He is now scheduled to enter pleas on the new charges Jan. 21.
Plea date set on sex offences
A plea date has been set for a former band councillor charge with sex offences.
Cryus John Bernard, 52, of Waycobah, is charged with six counts of sexual assault and six counts of sexual interference.
The offences are alleged to have occurred between 2014-2015.
Bernard was re-elected as councillor in last October’s band elections but later resigned after being charged with the offences by police.
He continues his release on conditions and is now scheduled to enter pleas Feb. 3.
Plea date scheduled
A plea date has been scheduled for a Waycobah man charged with child pornography offences.
Wayne Thomas Propser, 43, is charged with two counts of possession of child pornography, and single counts of transmitting child porn and accessing child porn.
Propser, who continues his release on conditions, is now scheduled to enter pleas Feb. 3.
Accused released on conditions
A Sydney man released on conditions after being charged with theft and breach offences was back in court the following day again charged with similar offences.
Rana Abhinav Singh, 34, is now charged with three counts of breaching court orders, two counts of theft and a single count of mischief.
Singh was charged Monday with stealing energy drinks from a convenience store at a local gas station along with mischief in relation lighting a piece of paper and placing into a garbage can.
He was released on conditions the following day that included he stay away from the store and that he not be in possession of any lighters or matches.
However, later that day Singh was again charged with theft (involving food products) and two breaches relating to the same convenience store. One of the breaches alleges he was in possession of a lighter at the time of his arrest.
Singh has again been released on conditions that include he stay away from the store and that he not have possession of any lighters or matches.
He is now scheduled to enter pleas Feb. 21.
Plea and trial dates set
A North Sydney man has been assigned trial and plea dates along with having two trafficking offences reduced to possession.
Glen Alan Lee Bartlett, 51, of Williams Street is scheduled to enter pleas Jan. 13 on two counts of assault, and single counts of driving while disqualified, break and enter along with breach offences.
He is to stand trial June 29 on three counts of breaching court orders, two counts of drug possession, and a single count of mischief.
Bail hearing set
A 40-year-old North Sydney man previously banned from driving for 10 years has been charged with driving while disqualified.
Justin Ryan Beddow of Pierce Street is also charged with two counts of assault and two counts of breaching court orders. The driving offence is alleged to have occurred last October while the assaults and breaches are alleged to have occurred Jan. 5.
Beddow is on remand and is expected to have a bail hearing Friday.
He was sentenced last July on another charge of driving while disqualified and was ordered to complete a four-month conditional sentence followed by 12 months probation and banned from driving for 10 years.
Beddow’s past criminal record includes three convictions for impaired driving and another three for driving while disqualified.
Hearing set on drug and weapon offences
Three Glace Bay men have elected a Supreme Court trial on drug trafficking charges.
Colton Ben Kiley, 32, of Phalen Road, is charged with two counts of breaching court orders and single counts of mischief relating to property damage, possession of a weapon while prohibited, possession of a prohibited weapon, and possession of a prohibited weapon without a license. The weapon involved was a nazi push dagger.
He is also charged jointly with Joseph Gerard Sparrow, 63, and Cecil John Sparrow, 70, both of Phalen Road, with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking relating to cocaine and Ritalin and a third count of possession of money knowing it was obtained by crime.
The offences are alleged to have occurred last Sept. 25 in Glace Bay.
Kiley continues to be on remand while both Sparrows’ have released on conditions.
A preliminary hearing on the charges is scheduled for March 11.
Trial set on weapon offences
A provincial court trial date has been set for a Big Bras d’Or woman charged with weapon offences.
Crystal Patricia LeBlanc, 30, is charged with two counts of assault with a weapon (bear spray and a vehicle) and a single count of mischief relating to property damage.
The offences are alleged to have occurred last Sept. 7 in Sydney Mines.
LeBlanc, who continues her release on conditions, is now scheduled to stand trial on the charges Aug. 11.
