Sipekne’katik man charged with assaulting fishery officer in HRM
Assault Charge Laid Against Sipekne’katik Man After Fishery Officer Struck by Car
A Sipekne’katik man is facing an assault charge after a fishery officer was struck by a car at Smiths Settlement in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
According to an RCMP news release, officers responded to a report of an assault near Highway 7 at 5 a.m. on Saturday.
The incident occurred as DFO officers were conducting an inspection at Eel Pond when a car driven by a 36-year-old man collided with a uniformed fishery officer who was on foot and instructing him to stop, the release said.
Fortunately, the fishery officer was not injured in the incident.
The driver was arrested at the scene, and during a search of the vehicle, an extendable baton and drug paraphernalia were found and seized.
The driver was subsequently charged with assault with a weapon and was released pending a court appearance scheduled for August 20th in Dartmouth provincial court.
RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay confirmed that the weapon used in the assault was the Acura TL that struck the fishery officer.
A release from Fisheries and Oceans Canada stated that officers were patrolling in the area when the incident occurred, and a quantity of young eels, known as elvers, were seized from the car and returned to the river.
Both the driver and another man who was also arrested and released are currently under investigation for offences under the Fisheries Act, the release mentioned.
