Charge against hockey coach dropped

Stewiacke man agrees to sign peace bond

An assault charge against a minor hockey coach who allegedly punched an on-ice official during a game in Brookfield in November has been withdrawn after he signed a peace bond.

Marshall James Bezanson, 33, of Stewiacke appeared in Truro provincial court last week.

Instead of entering a plea on the charge, Bezanson agreed to resolve the court case with a one-year peace bond.

The bond requires him to keep the peace and be of good behaviour and have no contact with the official, who was 27 at the time of the incident.

“The bond is a court order that has to be followed,” Judge Del Atwood told Bezanson.

Crown attorney Alison Brown said the assault charge would be withdrawn once the peace bond was signed.

The incident happened Nov. 18 at the Don Henderson Memorial Sportsplex during an under-11 game between the Brookfield Elks and the Cumberland Ramblers.

The coach left the arena before RCMP arrived. He turned himself in at the Stewiacke RCMP detachment a short time later and was released on conditions.

Nobody was injured in the incident, RCMP said.

Hockey Nova Scotia issued a statement that day saying the matter had been referred to Hockey Canada for an independent third-party review. It said the coach had been suspended indefinitely and counselling had been offered to players and parents from the two teams, as well as the officials.

On Saturday, Hockey Nova Scotia communications director Garreth Macdonald confirmed the coach remains suspended indefinitely.

Macdonald said Hockey Nova Scotia’s risk management committee will review the file to determine the “next steps.”