Lisa Scott
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 21/05) - The preliminary inquiry for a Yellowknife musher accused of stabbing a 19-year-old man in the abdomen this past summer ended Thursday with Sam Perrino ordered to stand trial on charges of aggravated assault.

Perrino was arrested and initially charged with attempted murder after the June 19 stabbing that left one man in an Edmonton hospital.

That charge was reduced five days after the incident in the Kam Lake area where Perrino lives.

Crown lawyer Sadie Bond called six witnesses during the two-day inquiry. Justice Schmaltz ordered the matter to Supreme Court. A trial date hasn't been set.

No details from the hearing can be reported due to a court-ordered publication ban.

The courtroom was full of supporters, both of Perrino and the stabbing victim.

Perrino, who owns a kennel in Kam Lake, is a well-known musher in the Northwest Territories. He has raced in the world-renowned Iditarod, as well as tackling the difficult Yukon Quest last year.

He has been free on a $1,000 bond since the charge was reduced.