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Court Briefs:
Hockey game costly for man

Dorothy Westerman
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Feb 03/06) - A man rushing to a hockey game in Yellowknife was fined $500 and told he was lucky he didn't end up in jail.

According to information entered in Territorial Court this week, the Behchoko man was caught speeding down the highway to Yellowknife on Oct. 8 last year.

RCMP stopped the vehicle and discovered the man had a driving prohibition since June 2005.

According to defence counsel, the man had made arrangements for a ride to Yellowknife to attend a hockey game, but at the last minute, the arrangement was cancelled.

Being under pressure, the man made the decision to drive himself, the court was told.

"It's important to note that imprisonment is quite common for this type of offence," Judge Brian Bruser told the 23-year-old who pleaded guilty to driving while suspended.

But the judge also told the man that, while he made a poor decision to drive, his history reflects one of usually making good decisions. Bruser gave the man three months to pay the fine.

Case goes to trial

Shawn Bennett entered a guilty plea in territorial court this week to theft under $5,000 and to knowingly cause a man to use a forged document.

Bennett also had been charged with seven counts of fraud over $5,000, to which he pleaded not guilty.

A trial date of May 10-11 has been set.

Trial set

A Yellowknife man charged with uttering threats and mischief entered a not guilty plea in territorial court this week.

A trial has been set for Feb. 22.

Firearm charges

A man charged with common assault, uttering threats, unauthorized possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle and unauthorized possession of a firearm appeared in territorial court briefly this week.

The matter was set over until Feb. 7.

Tentative trial in April

A tentative trial date of April 21 has been set for a Yellowknife man charged with multiple offenses.

The man entered a not guilty plea to assault with a weapon, two counts of uttering death threats, failing to appear and common assault.

The charges stem from incidents on Sept. 23, 2005 and Dec. 23, 2005.

The man will reappear in court March 14.

March trial

A Yellowknife man entered a not guilty plea in territorial court and will go to trial March 16.

The man was charged with assault with a weapon, common assault, uttering threats and theft under $5,000.

Drug charge

A preliminary hearing has been set for March 10 for a man charged with possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking and unauthorized possession of a firearm. The man elected trial by judge and jury.

Assault on woman

A man charged with assault on a woman in December will return to territorial court Feb. 14 with a lawyer.

The man appeared briefly this week.

Arrest warrants issued

There were a few no-shows at territorial court, Tuesday, so warrants have been issued for the arrest of three people.

In one case, a woman facing four charges under the federal Dangerous Goods Act related to the improper shipping of Bacardi rum left the court before her case was completed.

Judge Brian Bruser issued a warrant for her arrest as a result.

Bruser was also forced to issue arrest warrants for two men who didn't attend court as scheduled: one charged with common assault who was supposed to appear to enter a plea, and another for a man charged with break and enter after an incident Oct. 14, 2005.