The federal Crown has stayed drug charges against a Greenwood man.
Olav Straume, 39, was charged in September 2020 with three counts of possession with intent to traffic under Canada’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
READ MORE: West Boundary man pleads not guilty to criminal, driving charges
The Crown alleged that these offences happened in Grand Forks that June. Straume pleaded not guilty to all three charges in December 2020, according to the provincial court registry in Rossland.
Court records show the Crown directed a stay of proceedings on all three counts on March 9, one day before Straume’s scheduled trial at Grand Forks’ provincial court house.
Nathalie Houle, spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, said Friday March 25 that, “the Crown has a continuing obligation to assess each case in relation to our charge-approval standard … If the standard is no longer met, a stay of proceedings is entered.”
The Crown can resume prosecution against an accused up to one year after directing a stay, though in practice, this tends to be rare.
@ltritsch1
laurie.tritschler@grandforksgazette.ca
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
laurie.tritschler@boundarycreektimes.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.