Wallace Fox is expected to plead guilty.
Fox, who currently serves as the chief of Onion Lake Cree Nation, was charged in 2015 with two counts of assault, one count of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, which was related to the use of a knife, and one count of uttering threats to damage property.
A trial was set to proceed on October 4 to try Fox’s charges. However, that court date was cancelled after the matter was resolved out of court.
Instead, the matter was brought forward on October 3, during the regular session of Saskatchewan provincial court, and a date of October 20 was set down for sentencing.
According to the courtroom dialogue, Fox is expected to plead guilty as part of a resolution reached between the Crown and Fox’s legal defense. As the charges were proceeding on summary instead of indictment, Fox will not have to resign as chief when he pleads guilty to the charges.
“All I can tell you is that I’ve reached an agreement with defense council, there will be a guilty plea, and it will go to sentencing,” said Regional Crown Prosecutor Scott Bartlett, who is based out of North Battleford.
Bartlett did not provide any details about the resolution reached in the matter, which will become clear in court on October 20.