Perth-Andover man denies drug-dealing charges
Stephen Perley Jr., 26, also faces alleged firearms offences, will return to court next month to schedule trial dates
A Perth-Andover man facing drug-trafficking charges in Fredericton denied those allegations as well as counts involving firearms offences.
Stephen Perley Jr., 26, of Main Street in Perth-Andover, is accused of June 14, 2021, counts of possessing of cocaine and meth for the purpose of trafficking, possession of a prohibited firearm (a handgun), possession of that loaded weapon without a licence and possession of a prohibited firearm knowing that he wasn’t the holder of a licence.
Defence lawyer Steve McNair said Tuesday his client was electing to be tried in provincial court and entered not-guilty pleas.
Judge Scott Brittain set the case over to July 20 for a management appearance so Crown and defence lawyers could hash out how much time would be needed for the trial.
Later trial dates are expected to be set at that appearance.
Perley is currently incarcerated at the Springhill Institution in Nova Scotia, serving time for other offences that occurred around the same time as the alleged drug and firearms charges he denied this week.
The RCMP reported two years ago that Perley was being sought after two incidents during which firearms were discharged.
The first was on the evening of June 11, 2021, when a suspect had pointed a gun toward at least one victim and had fired the weapon in the presence of several other people, including a child.
The suspect was identified as Perley, but he’d fled the initial scene in the Medford area and headed toward Perth-Andover, the RCMP reported, and officers encountered him about an hour later.
Mounties attempted to stop and arrest him, but he fired on police, hitting a police cruiser with bullets.
Perley was able to escape again, but was arrested three days later. He was charged with various offences, including discharge of a firearm while being reckless as to the safety of another person, flight from police and possession of a firearm while prohibited.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.