Kings County court report to Feb. 22

Court imposes house arrest on pair



The court has imposed conditional sentences – including house arrest – on two Aldersville men for drug-related offenses.

Darren Henry Power, 40, and Daniel Everett Salsman, 40, pleaded guilty in Kentville provincial court Tuesday, Feb. 20, to unlawfully producing cannabis marijuana, a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) and to possession of more than three kilograms of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, also contrary to the Act.

Taking into a joint recommendation from Crown prosecutor David Greener and defense counsel Steve Mattson, Judge Claudine MacDonald imposed an 18-month conditional sentence order on Salsman for the offenses.

The first six months of the sentence will be in the form of house arrest, with the usual conditions and exceptions for such things as employment, education appointments and emergencies.

The judge also put a life-time firearms prohibition on Salsman and forfeited all materials involved in the offenses.

Also considering the joint recommendation, MacDonald imposed a 12-month conditional sentence order on Power.

The order includes four months house arrest, with the usual exceptions and conditions.

The judge also prohibited Power from possessing forearms for 11 years, and forfeited all materials involve din his offenses.

Salsman and Power committed the offenses in Aldersville May 16, 2006.



Fined for breathalyzer



Wolfville resident Brandon Isaac Roach, 21, pleaded guilty Monday, Feb. 19, to driving while his blood-alcohol readings exceeded the legal limit.

Judge MacDonald fined Roach $850 plus a $127.50 victim surcharge, or 17 days in custody on willful default, and prohibited him from driving in Canada for a year.

The Nova Scotia Registry of Motor Vehicles will ban him from driving in the province for at least as long.

Roach committed the offense in Wolfville Jan. 1, when police found that he had blood-alcohol readings of 150 and 160 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

The legal limit is 80 mg/100 ml.



Firearms storage-related offenses



In court Thursday, Feb. 22, Judge MacDonald fined Lake Paul resident Todd Russell Swinamer, 43, $200 plus a $30 victim surcharge, or four days in custody on willful default, each for a count of storing a firearm in a careless manner and for a count of storing ammunition in a careless manner.

Swinamer committed the offenses in Lake Paul Sept. 9, 2006. He pleaded guilty to the charges Jan. 3.

The court had dismissed a number of related charges.