On Nov. 5, Robert Minions was acquitted in North Vancouver Provincial Court of two counts of causing an animal to continue to be in distress. It was a significant development in an ongoing trial regarding two Brackendale residents.
Previously, both Robert Minions and Neddy Tsin each faced two counts of causing an animal to continue to be in distress, stemming from an incident in November 2016.
At the time, officers had visited a residence in Brackendale with a search warrant related to dogs in distress, the court heard on Nov. 5.
One RCMP officer, Const. Keven Biagoni, testified to Judge Joanne Challenger that he, along with his partner, accompanied District animal control officers and SPCA officers who searched the property.
There was a garage and motor vehicle on the property.
"I could see their condition once we were inside the garage. They were inside of the vehicle," said Biagoni, speaking of the dogs.
"From my experience owning pets...they did not look in good shape."
However, at the end of the Nov. 5 proceeding, the Crown said it would not be pursuing its charge against Minions.
"We're not calling the Squamish animal control people," said Jim Cryder, the Crown prosecutor."They might give some evidence that Mr. Minions being associated with the property. They don't actually have direct evidence that he was there on those days. I'm not going to make an argument it was his residence at the time he was around. So, on that basis, the Crown invites the court to acquit Mr. Minions of the charges."
Challenger said that such a measure was appropriate."It was certainly something that I was alert to — that the Crown had not connected [Minions] to the property," she said.
However, Tsin is still facing two charges of causing an animal to continue to be in distress.The trial started at the beginning of November and is expected to resume on Jan. 31, 2022.
