A Fredericton man accused of exposing himself in public and who has a history of failures to attend court was absent again Monday, but his lawyer emphasized he’s homeless and mentally ill.

Robert Jess Foster, 57, of no fixed address, was supposed to be back in Fredericton provincial court Monday to answer to June 10 counts of exposing his genitals with the intent to offend others in Fredericton and breaching his probation in the process.

When Judge Lyne Raymond called the case, though, he wasn’t present.

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An elderly man from Oromocto is due in court next month to answer to allegations that he sexually assaulted a minor and he molested that child eight years ago.

Glendon Grasse, 87, of Greenfield Road, was scheduled to make his first appearance in Fredericton provincial court July 15 on indictable charges alleging he sexually assaulted a minor and touched that person for a sexual purpose in Geary on Aug. 5, 2018.

Crown prosecutor Dahlia Chahine asked the court to impose a publication ban on information that would tend to identify the complainant, and Judge Mélanie Poirier LeBlanc granted that order.

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A judge expressed concern that the police and the prosecution still haven’t provided full disclosure to defence counsel representing a Fredericton man, just days before his drug-trafficking trial.

Ian Keith Edwards, 27, of Regent Street, is scheduled to stand trial beginning July 27 on Sept. 9 counts of possession of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking; possession of $2,800 cash deemed to be the proceeds of crime; possession of 22-calibre ammunition while prohibited by a court order; violation of a court-ordered driving prohibition; and breach of probation.

Edwards appeared in Fredericton provincial court Friday by telephone from the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre ahead of his trial date, and on hand in court in person was defence counsel Alex Pate.

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A Minto man was sentenced to a brief stint of house arrest Friday and fined thousands of dollars for fleecing the federal employment-insurance program in recent years.

Andrew Daken, 47, of Logue Road, appeared in Fredericton provincial court Friday for his sentencing hearing on three counts under the federal Employment Insurance Act.

He previously admitted to making seven false representations between May 22 and Aug. 14, 2020, on one employment-insurance claim, 13 false representations between April 30 and Oct. 15, 2021 on another stint on EI, and 10 false representations between May 24 and Sept. 27, 2024, during a third time on the dole.

All told, federal prosecutor Derek Weaver told the court Friday, Daken received $29,800 in illegitimate EI payments between 2020 and 2024.

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A Fredericton man in custody as he awaits his trial on allegations of involvement in the drug trade has had a falling-out with his lawyer, and new counsel will need to be appointed, court heard Friday.

Wayne Richard MacLaggan, 52, of Priestman Street, appeared in Fredericton provincial court by video from a custodial facility Friday.

He’d previously elected to be tried in provincial court and pleaded not guilty to Aug. 16, 2024, counts of possession of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine for the purpose of trafficking in Fredericton, as well as to a Sept. 7, 2024, count of assault on Keenan Bunting and a Sept. 25, 2025, count of failure to attend court.

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An Ontario man accused of an attempted residential break-in in downtown Fredericton had previously hoped to transfer his charges to Ontario, but he didn’t realize he’d have to plead guilty to do so.

Dwight Levi Humber, 29 - whose address in court records is listed as Larkwood Street in Wallaceburg, Ont., and as Bertie Street in Ridgeway, Ont. - appeared in Fredericton provincial court by telephone from that province Wednesday on two charges alleged to have occurred in the capital earlier this year.

He’s accused of attempting to break and enter into a residence on York Street and prowling at night on that property March 19.

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A Fredericton man convicted of a sexual offence four years ago is now facing a charge alleging he violated the terms of a sex-offender registration order earlier this year.

John David Larlee, 55, of Stairs Street, appeared in Fredericton provincial court July 10 to answer to a charge alleging he failed to comply with a March 1, 2022, order under the Sex Offender Information Registration Act on Jan. 23 by not reporting the location of his main residence, as is required of him on an annual basis.

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A Fredericton man for whom an arrest warrant was issued Monday when he didn’t show up in court presented himself at the courthouse Thursday and was taken into custody - briefly.

A judge issued a warrant Monday for the arrest of Andrew Edward Miller, 32, of no fixed address, after he failed to appear as required in Fredericton provincial court.

He’s charged with using two counterfeit Canadian $100 bills at the Irving on Lincoln Road on April 4.

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A former chief of the Welamukotuk (Oromocoto) First Nation was heard Thursday in jailhouse recordings with her boyfriend discussing paying thousands to a victim with the hope she wouldn’t testify against him.

Shelley Marie Sabattis, 57, of Wel-a-Mook Took Street on the Welamukotuk First Nation, was back in Fredericton provincial court Thursday for her trial on a bribery charge.

She’s accused of obstructing justice between Nov. 23 and 29, 2023, by trying to dissuade Chanel Sabattis from testifying against Winton Labelle Walter Saulis on domestic-violence charges.

Const. Sulin Ore Rodriguez - testifying by video from Nunavut, where she’s a member of the RCMP’s major crime unit in that territory - said in 2021 to 2025, she was attached to the Keswick detachment of the RCMP.

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Conditions are ripe in western sections of New Brunswick for severe thunderstorms Thursday afternoon and evening, the federal weather service warns.

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s weather service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for select areas of New Brunswick Thursday afternoon.

The watch alert is in effect for Fredericton and southern York County, and St. Stephen and northern Charlotte County, whereas Grand Falls and Victoria County, Grand Manan and coastal Charlotte County, and Woodstock and Carleton County are under a severe thunderstorm warning, a step up from a thunderstorm watch.

“Conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms that may be capable of producing strong wind gusts,” the thunderstorm watch advisory for Fredericton stated, noting that potential rainfall rates could be 10 to 20 millimetres per hour with wind gusts as high as 90 kilometres per hour.

“A line of thunderstorms has developed over northern Maine and is quickly tracking southeastward at 70 km/hour,” the advisory said.

“Another severe line has developed over southern Maine. These storms have the potential to be severe as they cross the border.”

The alert noted utility outages are possible, and it warned that people in affected areas should ensure they’re indoors when they hear thunder, as the lightning that follows poses risks of injury or death.

The Fredericton Independent can be reached at ftonindependent@gmail.com.

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A Hoyt man will be sentenced in late August after he admitted this week to several crimes, including two break-ins at a rural camp and at a towing compound last year.

Andrew Michael Donovan, 37, of Boyne Road, appeared in Fredericton provincial court by video from a custodial facility Monday.

He was scheduled to stand trial next March on July 30, 2025, charges of breaking into a camp on Route 101 in Tracyville that’s home to Jasen Golding, Tyler Golding and Anthony Cole with the intent to commit an indictable offence; stealing the residents’ property; possessing a stolen 2025 Kubota side-by-side; possessing other stolen items; and breaching his probation.

However, defence counsel Michael Mallory asked for the case to be brought into court ahead of schedule, noting that the parties had reached a resolution in the case.

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An Oromocto woman is facing charges alleging she seriously injured two other people while driving under the influence of a drug, as well as possessing drugs while driving again months later.

Susan Marie Mossop, 47, of Hiawatha Avenue, appeared in Fredericton provincial court Monday, scheduled to answer to two sets of charges.

She faces alternate counts of having an excessive blood-drug concentration in her system within two hours of driving and driving while impaired by a drug, thereby causing bodily harm to Dennis and Judy Doucette in Fredericton on Aug. 6, as well as leaving the scene of an accident in which she knew someone was hurt.

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Fredericton police officers didn’t bother to surveil a suspected fentanyl-trafficking site for long or obtain video-footage of the location, leading a judge to acquit a city man accused of drug and weapons crimes.

Christopher Isaiah Eatmon, 32, of Lincoln Road, stood trial in Fredericton provincial court earlier this year on July 29, 2025, charges of production of fentanyl, possession of it for the purpose of trafficking, possession of cocaine, possession of stolen property, possession of brass knuckles for a dangerous purpose, possession of that weapon without a licence or authorization, and breach of a court-ordered weapons prohibition.

Judge Scott Brittain, in rendering his decision on the case June 26, details the Crown’s evidence at trial, which noted that the city police force’s integrated enforcement unit, which focuses on drug investigations, executed a search warrant at Room No. 44 at the Lincoln Inn Motel shortly after noon on June 29, 2025.

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People enjoying a stroll the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge found a new friend awaiting them recently - a seven-foot metal bird named Bertha - but she’s already gone, having fallen victim to vandalism.

Bertha, a colourful metal sculpture of an ostrich crafted by artist Jean Hudson, was recently installed on the walking bridge as part of the City of Fredericton’s temporary art program, but her time there proved to be short lived, as she was recently removed.

City spokesperson Marley McLellan told the Fredericton Independent this week that the removal was to effect repairs.

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Two suspects charged in similar but separate counterfeit-currency cases were both nowhere to be seen in court Monday for their scheduled first appearances on their charges.

Michelle Atkins, 46, of Robinson Drive in Thunder Bay, Ont., was supposed to make her initial appearance in Fredericton provincial court Monday on May 2 counts of using counterfeit money at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital and again at Pizza Pizza on Regent Street in Fredericton, and of possessing $700 in counterfeit Canadian currency.

Also scheduled for his first appearance in an unrelated case was Andrew Edward Miller, 32, of no fixed address, who’s accused of using counterfeit money (two phony Canadian $100 bills) at the Irving on Lincoln Road on April 4.

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A Fredericton woman accused of assaulting a woman with a hammer last year after breaking into a northside apartment saw her trial dates postponed Wednesday to accommodate her lawyer.

Ashlie Dawn Ward, 36, of Venus Court, elected earlier this year to be tried in Fredericton provincial court and pleaded not guilty to indictable charges alleging she assaulted Danielle Desaulniers with a weapon (a hammer), possessed the hammer for a purpose dangerous to the public peace and broke into an apartment on Union Street in Fredericton with intent to commit an indictable offence, all on Aug. 6.

She also previously pleaded not guilty to causing property damage to a window belonging to Katherine Bransfield at a Maliseeet Drive residence Oct. 15.

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A young Fredericton man scheduled to stand trial later this month on firearm charges arising after a standoff with police in March opted Wednesday to admit to most of the counts against him.

Last month, Gage Nason Degrace-Whitlock, 19, of Clark Street, elected to be tried in provincial court and pleaded not guilty to 10 criminal charges alleging offences involving a firearm - a 22-calibre rifle.

His trial was scheduled for July 28 with continuation in September.

However, the matter was brought back before a judge ahead of schedule Wednesday, with the defendant appearing in court by telephone from the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre, where he’s being held on remand.

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A Fredericton man in custody on drug-trafficking allegations that he denied in May saw his trial dates scheduled for next spring Wednesday.

Bradley Douglas Webb, 38, formerly of Fairview Drive, appeared in Fredericton provincial court by video from the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre on Wednesday.

He’d previously elected to be tried in provincial court and pleaded not guilty to April 30 charges of possession of fentanyl, meth and cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, as well as a related count of possession of proceeds of crime.

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A Rusagonis man will stand trial in 14 months’ time on charges alleging he stole copper wire from Base Gagetown and a telecom facility last year and that he sabotaged Department of National Defence property in the process.

Jeremy Gerald Delaney, 36, of Moore Road, appeared in Fredericton provincial court Tuesday accompanied by defence counsel Laura Murphy.

The defendant faces March 9, 2025, charges of theft of copper wiring belonging to the Department of National Defence (DND) at Base Gagetown in Oromocto; damage to DND property, rendering it useless and inoperative; sabotage of DND property by cutting the wire and compromising base security; flight from from military police in a motor vehicle; and breach of probation.

Additionally, he’s also charged with April 8, 2025, counts of theft of cable wiring from a Bell Aliant facility in Geary and possession of a stolen 2019 GMC Terrain belonging to Jessica Canning.

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A Fredericton man was sentenced to time already served Monday for assaults on his girlfriend - part of a pattern of abuse - but he remains in custody pending trial on related charges.

Troy Everett Bishop, 38, of Woodstock Road, appeared in custody and in person in Fredericton provincial court Monday for a sentencing hearing.

He’d previously pleaded guilty to a Dec. 12 count of assault with a weapon (a drill) on Amie Martinson and a Dec. 14 assault on her, both in Fredericton.

Court heard Bishop has been in a relationship with the victim for about five years, and he has past convictions for breaking into her home, assaulting her by choking and violating orders to have no contact with her.

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