Oromocto bank robbery suspect denied bail
Chad Atkinson, 30, had been scheduled to stand trial Friday, but that will be delayed
Though he’s already been in custody more than three months, a suspect in an attempted bank robbery case out of Oromocto went through a long-deferred bail hearing Thursday, but to no avail.
Chad Atkinson, 30, of Farnham Road in Haneytown, has been in custody since his arrest the afternoon of Aug. 30 at the TD Bank branch on Onondaga Street in Oromocto.
He’s accused of attempting to rob the branch and employee Samson Adeyemo, possessing a Crossman Arms Co. pellet gun for the purpose of committing an offence, carrying a concealed weapon and violating a probation order imposed on him in May, stemming from events that day.
Atkinson also faces Aug. 29 counts of driving with an elevated blood-alcohol level and breaching his probation as well.
The defendant had previously asked to defer his bail hearing on the Aug. 30 charges, so it was held finally Thursday in Fredericton provincial court.
Atkinson appeared in court by video-conference from the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre for the proceeding.
Evidence presented at the bail hearing and the reasons for the judge’s decision are subject to a publication ban until the case concludes.
Judge Natalie LeBlanc ruled Thursday the Crown had shown cause why Atkinson should remain in custody until his matters before the court are resolved.
The bail hearing was actually held the day before Atkinson’s scheduled trial. However, following LeBlanc’s decision, court heard that the trial will have to be postponed.
Duty counsel Gerald Pugh, who represented Atkinson at the bail hearing, noted that the defendant’s defence counsel - Legal Aid New Brunswick staff lawyer Doug Smith - was unavailable for Friday’s scheduled trial due to illness.
As such, the legal aid commission is endeavouring to reassign his case, so an adjournment of the trial will be unavoidable.
The Oromocto detachment of the RCMP, in a news release issued late this summer, reported it received a call about a robbery in progress after a male suspect entered the TD branch at around 2:15 p.m. Aug. 30 and demanded money.
The release indicated the suspect told bank staff he had a firearm in a backpack he was carrying.
That call prompted a major police response at the bank in the strip mall, with officers armed with rifles surrounding the location. Atkinson was arrested shortly thereafter.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.