Accused poachers plead not guilty
ANTIGONISH - Four men appeared in Antigonish Provincial Court on Monday morning to answer to charges of hunting an endangered species in Guysborough County. Anthony Glenn Fleet, Dean Allan Fleet and Ivan Larry Fleet all pleaded non- guilty to trying to kill mainland moose on October 28, 2005. Pictou resident Weldon Roy Cook also pleaded not guilty. The charges relate to incidents on Oct. 28, 2005 in the area of the Liscomb River Road.
Anthony Fleet, 47, and Ivan Larry Fleet, 38, both of Ecum Secum, were charged as co-accused with offences under the Endangered Species Act. A trial has been set for them on Nov. 15, 2006. Dean Allan Fleet, 35, of Ecum Secum was charged separately with trying to kill a male moose, possessing an uncased firearm in a vehicle and possessing a loaded firearm in a vehicle. He pleaded not guilty to all three charges. His trial is set for Dec. 7, 2006.
Cook, 58, was also charged separately with trying to kill an endangered species on Oct. 28 in the same area. He was also charged with possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle and possessing an uncased firearm in a vehicle. He pleaded not guilty on all charges. Cook appeared without a lawyer Monday and had a trial date set for Nov. 16, 2005. He asked the judge if he could be tried by judge and jury, but the judge pointed out that in this case that option does not exist and the trial will be presided over by a provincial court judge alone.
Trevor Langille of Halifax, Francis Langille of West Liscomb Road and Angus Spears of Liscomb Mills are also facing charges related to alleged moose poaching under the Endangered Species Act, but asked for more time to review information relevant to the charges. They were not in court Monday but their lawyer appeared on their behalf. The three will appear before the court on Dec. 19 to answer to the charges and enter pleas.
The charges are the result of a two-year investigation by the Department of Natural Resources. Mainland moose were declared an endangered species in 2003. These incidents involved the accused allegedly shooting at a decoy of a male moose.
