NORTH BATTLEFORD – A weapons charge against one of the men arrested in an alleged attack against a First Nations man is expected to be resolved by alternative measures.
Dane Lesmeister, 18, was charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. He is back in court on Dec. 19. If he completes alternative measures as outlined by the court, he won’t have a criminal record.
Adam Lesmeister, 46, is charged with assault. His defence lawyer Randy Kirkham appeared for him in North Battleford Provincial Court by phone Monday and asked for an adjournment to Nov. 28. A tentative sentencing hearing had been set for Nov. 3 after Kirkham told the court that a plea would “probably” be entered, and adding that a sentencing hearing would be “fairly lengthy.”
The two Lesmeisters were charged following an incident that was captured on a cellphone video by Battlefords lawyer Eleanore Sunchild. She posted the video online that allegedly showed an Indigenous man being attacked in Battleford.
Battlefords RCMP say they got a call about an assault around 6:50 p.m. on June 17 in the 0-100 block of 17 Street East in Battleford. A man was allegedly approached by three males he didn’t know and one of the men assaulted him. All three had left the area before officers arrived and the victim, who is from Poundmaker First Nation, was given medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
The video sparked outrage across the province. Sunchild called the attack racist and seemingly an act of vigilante justice. The alleged assault occurred in her yard in Battleford.
In a statement, FSIN said the victim was unhooking a trailer while his six-year-old daughter sat in the vehicle at a home in Battleford when the three non-First Nations men approached him on the property.
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