A Sackville man who has been in custody at the Shediac jail since July 6 was released Tuesday, after pleading guilty and being sentenced to time served for various assault charges.
Colt LeBlanc pled guilty to two counts of assault and obstruction of a police officer for events that took place in January near his home on Upper Aboujagane Road.
Appearing in court via video conference, LeBlanc agreed to the facts of the cases as presented by crown prosecutor Nicholas Comeau.
Comeau said police had been trying to locate a dark coloured SUV which had been speeding along Pond Shore Road on January 9. Constable Patrick Belliveau approached LeBlanc’s home after seeing a similar vehicle pull in the driveway. As he approached, a high powered blue laser was pointed at his vehicle. When he got out to investigate, he saw three people on the road, one of whom was flashing a high powered flashlight in his eyes.
At that point two more officers arrived on scene and informed the group with the laser and flashlight of why they were there. The three then started “screaming obscenities and saying they were being harassed by the police,” Comeau told the court.
While officers spoke with one member of the group, Colt LeBlanc “aggressively threw a shovel” at the officers. Constable Belliveau then told LeBlanc he was under arrest, and LeBlanc fled to his house. Constables Belliveau and Yoan Comeau pursued LeBlanc, and an altercation at the door ensued. Comeau “breached the door with his foot” and grabbed LeBlanc’s arm in an attempt to pull him outside to arrest him. The door was slammed on Comeau’s arm, and then Comeau told Belliveau that LeBlanc would not release his arm. Belliveau then used a taser to free Comeau, sustaining injuries in the process.
The officers then left the residence, and LeBlanc later contacted the police to turn himself in.
Prosecutor Comeau also read the details of another assault charge laid in July, but that charge is subject to a publication ban and so the details can’t be shared.
LeBlanc originally pled not guilty to the July charge, and was scheduled for trial in November. On Tuesday he reversed that, pleading guilty to assault and uttering threats. He also pled guilty to two counts stemming from the January incident with the police, while two other counts were dropped.
He was sentenced to a cumulative 96 days incarceration. With the time he has served since being arrested on July 6 counting for time and a half, the judge informed LeBlanc that he had completed his sentence Tuesday, and that he was to be released from the Shediac jail on conditions. LeBlanc is not permitted to possess a firearm for 5 years, and will be under probation for 18 months. The court also imposed a no-contact order with LeBlanc’s partner, Carrie Ann Sears.
Sears and LeBlanc have both been charged with possession of illegal drugs for the purposes of trafficking, and will appear in court again on October 1. Those charges stem from search and seizures that took place at their home on Upper Aboujagane Road in late April.
Before the matter proceeded on Tuesday, LeBlanc’s lawyer Michel Des Neiges requested time to meet with LeBlanc in court. Later he noted that, “communication is practically impossible with clients in detention.” LeBlanc had been in custody at the Shediac jail for just over two months, and the jail has been under lockdown after a COVID-19 outbreak was declared on the premises.
Before sentencing, Des Neiges told the court that LeBlanc is self-employed as a carpenter and will be able to “get back on his feet” once released. He said LeBlanc does not have issues with drugs or alcohol, but acknowledges problems with anger. One of the conditions of LeBlanc’s release is the completion of a domestic violence intervention program.
LeBlanc’s home on Upper Aboujagane Road has been closed by a court order for the past three months, and was destroyed by fire shortly after that order was issued.
