Charges against a Richmond Co. man arrested in a Sydney sexual assault investigation have been dismissed or withdrawn.
James Darren Peters, 50, of Lower L’Ardoise was arrested in relation to a pair of alleged sexual assaults on young boys at stores in Port Hawkesbury and Sydney in Aug. 2019.
He had two counts of abducting a child under 14 dismissed and two sexual assault charges withdrawn in Sydney Provincial Court Tuesday.
In the Port Hawkesbury case, RCMP say a boy, 9, was lured into the bathroom of a business on Paint St., forced into a stall, and had his pants pulled down; he was able to escape and tell a family member.
Peters was charged with sexual interference, unlawful confinement, sexual assault and assault; he pleaded not guilty to all his charges during an election-and-plea hearing in Nov. 2019.
His trial on those counts opened in Port Hawkesbury Provincial Court Wednesday; it continued Thursday.
It’s scheduled to resume Feb. 24.
Peters also had a charge of possession of child pornography, which was laid in March, dismissed in Port Hawkesbury Provincial Court in December.
Police alleged they found child porn when they searched Peters’ home in Oct. 2019.
Shortly after the original arrest, Regional Cadet Support Unit (Atlantic) officials said Peters was a volunteer with the 2842 L’Ardoise Legion Engineering Army Cadets, but had since been suspended.
