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In Brief

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 03/23/2013 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Singer faces April trial

LOCAL hip-hop singer Billy Pierson, a.k.a. Jon-C, will go to trial in late April on drug charges.

Pierson challenged the information police used to obtain a search warrant that led to his arrest in 2008.

Justice Doug Abra ruled Friday the information was properly obtained and all evidence seized can be admitted into trial.

Pierson was charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. The trial will begin April 22.

Pierson's lawyer, Barry Sinder, argued earlier this week the information police submitted to get a search warrant on a Church Avenue house where Pierson was arrested was insufficient.

He said police had targeted four people, including Pierson, for allegedly running a "reloader" house, a place where dial-a-dealer crack-cocaine sellers can get more drugs and hit the streets again.

Man stabbed in North End

A man who was stabbed early Friday at a Winnipeg home was in stable condition, police said.

Winnipeg police were called to 285 Magnus Ave., at 4:30 a.m. where they found a man who had been stabbed in the chest and throat.

Police said a male suspect was taken into custody.

Shooter gets prison time

A Winnipeg man is headed back to prison for his role in a shooting and assault last fall.

Christopher Pottinger, 35, was given a five-year prison sentence Friday after pleading guilty to firing a rifle at a group of people and punching out another person.

Court was told Pottinger was one of four people arrested for his role in a shooting on Boyd Avenue on Sept. 4, 2012.

Pottinger had accompanied the group on a revenge attack after his co-accused, Harley Barr, had been pepper-sprayed earlier in the day.

After the group arrived at the Boyd Avenue home, Pottinger pulled out the rifle and fired at the home. There were several people inside but no one was hurt.

The group drove off. Police tracked them down to Barr's house, where Barr and Pottinger were arrested.

Pottinger also pleaded guilty to punching another man earlier that day. Pottinger and his co-accused were attempting to collect a drug debt but the victim had no money and Pottinger assaulted him.

The court accepted a joint sentencing recommendation for both Pottinger and Barr. Pottinger received a three-year term for the weapons charges and an additional two years for the assault.

Barr, 20, was given a two-year suspended sentence.

Pottinger has a lengthy record dating back to 1995.

Earth Hour today

MANITOBANS are asked to celebrate International Earth Hour 2013.

Residents are encouraged to turn off the lights for one hour today from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. as a symbol of taking action against climate change.

"Turning off the lights for one hour is a small step but it symbolizes the simple changes we can make to green our lifestyle," Conservation Minister Gord Mackintosh said in a statement.

"When enough people make these small changes, we collectively have a large effect in the fight against climate change."

Government offices will participating in the initiative by turning off interior lights in both urban and rural provincial buildings.

"We can all make a difference through small actions," he said.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 23, 2013 A11

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