In custody
Yarmouth County man facing 34 charges.
A Yarmouth County man is facing 34 charges after being arrested following a heavy police presence on a road outside of town on May 12.
David Lloyd Gordon Benjamin, 41, will be back in court on June 5 for a show- cause hearing to determine if he will be released from custody. The hearing was twice adjourned last week. Benjamin consented both times to continued remand in custody.
The majority of charges Benjamin faces are firearms related, but also include counts of assault and sexual assault.
The RCMP did not issue any media releases, nor provided details surrounding the investigation last week. When questioned Staff Sergeant Ben Parry would only refer to a call the RCMP responded to on May 12 as being “high risk.”
According to documents filed with the court, the charges include two counts of assault, a sexual assault charge, one count of unlawful confinement and one count of issuing threats to cause death or bodily harm. The majority of these offences are alleged to have taken place between April 1 and May 12.
Another 23 charges the man faces are all firearms related and all dated May 12 with Brooklyn listed as the location of the alleged offences. The charges include numerous counts each of careless use of a firearm, possession of a firearm and unauthorized possession of a firearm. There are also counts of pointing a firearm, firearms storage- related charges and possession of a prohibited weapon.
The Crown asked for a noncommunication order naming two individuals the accused is not to have any contact with, which the court granted.
Weapons identified in the court charges are listed as a 20- gauge pump action shotgun, a semiautomatic rifle, a .303 calibre bolt action rifle and a .45 calibre pistol. Two other charges before the court are allegations of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
On Friday, May 12, members from the Yarmouth town and rural detachments, and the street crime unit, barricaded the Tinkham Road in Yarmouth County. Armed RCMP were situated at either end of the road. The police searched a residence on the road that evening after obtaining a search warrant.
A resident of the Tinkam Road said as things unfolded residents were told to keep their doors locked. Some residents happening upon the scene were allowed to go through the barricades to their homes, while other people were turned away. Vehicles were also searched.