Bank robbery suspect seeks legal counsel
Chad Atkinson, 30, of Haneytown, delays bail hearing so he can retain defence lawyer
A Haneytown man accused of trying to hold up an Oromocto bank last week will remain in custody for the time being as he searches for a defence lawyer to represent him.
Chad Atkinson, 30, of Farnham Road in Haneytown, was arrested at the TD Canada Trust branch on Onodaga Street in Oromocto the afternoon of Aug. 30 after what the RCMP reported as an attempted robbery.
Consequently, he faces charges of attempting to rob the bank and TD employee Samson Adeyemo of cash, possessing a Crossman Arms Co. pellet gun for the purpose of committing an offence, carrying a concealed weapon (the pellet gun) and breaching a probation order that was imposed on him May 30.
The RCMP previously reported Atkinson was a resident of Oromocto, but the information on the court file lists the Haneytown address.
The defendant was remanded after his initial court appearance last week, and he appeared by telephone in Fredericton provincial court Tuesday, scheduled to go through a bail hearing.
Instead, duty counsel Michael Mallory said, Atkinson was asking for it to be postponed, reserving the right to have the bail hearing at a later date.
Mallory said the defendant was looking to retain counsel before going through the bail hearing.
Judge Claude Haché asked the accused if he planned to apply for legal aid or hire private counsel.
“I don’t know. That’s up to my family right now,” Atkinson said.
A couple of family members were present in court Tuesday for the proceedings.
Mallory said it was likely a lawyer from the private bar would be hired initially only for the bail hearing, with a subsequent decision on counsel to be made following the hearing.
Haché set the case over to Oct. 3 for election of mode of trial and pleas, and noted on the file that Atkinson reserves his right to a bail hearing at some point.
The judge remanded him again until that time.
In a news release issued Sept. 1, the RCMP said a male suspect entered the bank at about 2:15 p.m. and demanded money.
The suspect said he had a firearm in his backpack, it said.
Officers were dispatched to the scene, and the suspect - now identified as Atkinson - was arrested without incident, the release said.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.