Court Report

Jail, probation for theft, breaches

A Blue Mountain resident has received an intermittent jail sentence and a term of probation for theft, breaches and failure to attend court as ordered. The court also fined him for a Motor Vehicles Act (MVA) offense.

Ronald Curtis Frederick Carey, 20, pleaded guilty in Kentville provincial court Tuesday, Sept. 25 to theft of property valued at less than $5,000, failing to comply with a probation order, failing to comply with an undertaking, and failing to attend court as ordered, all contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada, and to driving without the required liability insurance, contrary to the Nova Scotia Motor Vehicles Act.

Judge Alan Tufts sentenced Carey to 60 days in jail, to be served intermittently and followed by 12 months’ probation, for the Criminal Code offenses, and fined him $1,000 for the MVA offense.

Probationary conditions include having no contact with the theft victim and payment of $198 in restitution.

Carey committed the MVA offense in Berwick April 27; the theft and probation breach in Berwick May 22; the undertaking breach in Berwick June 25; and the failure to attend, Kentville, July 16.

Fine, probation for breathalyzer offense

Hantsport resident Morris Leslie King, 64, pleaded guilty in Kentville provincial court Monday, Sept. 24 to driving while his blood-alcohol level exceeded the legal limit.

Judge Alan Tufts fined King $700 or 11 days in custody on willful default, imposed a term of nine months of reporting probation on him and prohibited him from driving in Canada for 18 months.

The Nova Scotia Registry of Motor Vehicles will ban King from driving in the province for at least 18 months.

Among others, probationary conditions include King taking any assessment, counselling or treatment recommended by corrections officials and a ban on possessing and/or consuming alcoholic beverages.

King committed the offense in Hants Border Aug. 29 when police found he had blood-alcohol readings of 120 and 120 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

The legal limit is 80 mg/100 ml.

Probation for assault

Kentville resident Jeffrey Terrance Schofield, 31, pleaded guilty Sept. 24 to common assault.

Judge Tufts suspended sentencing on Schofield for the conviction and imposed a term of nine months of probation on him.

Probationary conditions include Schofield taking any assessment, counselling or treatment recommended by Corrections officials, and a prohibition on initiating any contact with the victim.

Schofield committed the assault in Kentville Aug. 12.

Possessed stolen property

Waterville resident Kevin Alwood Pelton, 20, pleaded guilty Sept. 24 to possession of property valued at more than $5,000 and known to have been obtained unlawfully.

Judge Tufts fined Pelton $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge, or nine days in custody on willful default.

Pelton committed the offense in Waterville July 17.

Received conditional discharge

Judge Tufts granted Yarmouth resident Joshua Fahey, 25, a conditional discharge Sept. 24 on a charge of common assault. The discharge is pending 18 months of reporting probation.

Probationary conditions include Fahey taking any assessment, counselling or treatment recommended by Corrections officials and not having any contact with the victim.

Police laid the charge in Shelburne April 1, 2006. Fahey pleaded guilty to the charge Sept. 24.

Granted conditional discharge

Judge Tufts granted a conditional discharge Sept. 25 to Coldbrook resident David Alexander Smith, 45, for failing to attend court as summoned. The discharge is pending 30 days of probation and a $100 charitable donation to the Red Door.

The charge resulted from an incident in Kentville Nov. 20, 2006. The court found Smith guilty of the charge Sept. 25.

To trial in April

The Black River couple facing 13 charges stemming from the Aug. 24 police search of their property pleaded not guilty Sept. 24.

Judge Tufts scheduled the 61-year-old man and 59-year-old woman to trial beginning April 8. There will be a pre-trial hearing Nov. 5.

The couple, who have been in remand since their arrest, face charges of unlawfully producing cannabis marijuana, a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act; possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking; possession of property valued at more than $5,000 and known to have been obtained illegally; and a number of firearms-related charges, including possession of restricted handguns.