ATLANTIC

N.B. man gets conditional sentence in relation to shale gas protest

The Canadian Press Published Friday, December 12, 2014 9:57AM AST

$Rexton anti-fracking protest$

Negotiations between protesters and police in Rexton, N.B. as police began enforcing an injunction to end an ongoing demonstration against shale gas exploration in eastern New Brunswick on Thursday, Oct.17, 2013. (Andrew Vaughan / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Text:

MONCTON, N.B. - RCMP say a 73-year-old Saint John, N.B., man has pleaded guilty to three charges in connection with shale gas protests in the fall of 2013.

The Mounties say Gregory Morton Cook appeared in court in Moncton on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to assaulting a peace officer, obstructing three police officers and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

The charges were laid following an incident in September 2013 near Rexton.

The Mounties say Cook ignored directions from police and drove through a roadblock towards a second roadblock of police vehicles, coming to a stop near the cruisers.

The police say Cook was sentenced to an 18-month conditional discharge with conditions to stay at least one kilometre away from shale gas exploration activities and protests.

The RCMP say he is also to have no contact with the RCMP officers named in the charges and must complete 30 hours of community service.