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A southwest Nova Scotia lobster dealer who was the target of an undercover RCMP investigation last year is set to be released on bail later this month, with a prominent buyer in the region acting as his surety and pledging $25,000 toward his release.
Eric David Thibault, 66, was in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax on Tuesday for a bail review, seeking release after spending nearly eight months in custody following his arrest last November.
Justice James Chipman granted Thibault bail on a number of conditions, including that Reginald LeBlanc act as his surety. The details of the hearing are banned from publication, but LeBlanc, who is president of Wedgeport Lobster Ltd., previously told CBC that Thibault worked for him.
Thibault was denied bail last year following his arrest stemming from a major RCMP investigation. Charges against him include intimidating an undercover officer, dangerous driving, cocaine trafficking and conspiracy to commit arson. The case will return to court Thursday.
At the time, he was also facing intimidation and extortion charges related to four earlier cases. However, three of those cases were dismissed in May because trial witnesses were not subpoenaed, and he was acquitted in a fourth case in June.
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Thibault was represented in court Tuesday by his defence lawyer, Allan MacDonald. Len MacKay represented the Crown.
Thibault is set to be released in the coming weeks, perhaps as soon as Friday. He must live at a home in the community of Conway, just south of Digby, N.S., and abide by a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., Chipman said. Thibault will also make a $25,000 cash deposit.
Thibault, who is known to drive a Lamborghini, will be allowed behind the wheel. But Chipman said he is only allowed to drive his 2006 Chevy pickup.
The developments come as Thibault’s son, Zacharie Thibault, was arrested last week and charged with aggravated assault related to an incident July 7 at a residence in Little Brook, N.S.
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Zacharie Thibault, who was charged with extortion as part of last year’s police investigation, had been living under house arrest in Little Brook at a home previously occupied by his father. He is currently in custody and returns to court Wednesday.
RCMP said in an email that officers were called around 8:30 a.m. to a report of an assault in progress. One person was arrested. The alleged victim reported serious injuries, according to police, and was taken to hospital.
Among the court-ordered conditions imposed following Zacharie Thibault’s arrest, he is forbidden from contacting the alleged victim. He is also prohibited from contacting his father, Eric Thibault.
RCMP have asserted that Eric Thibault was the ringleader of a crime group that behaved like they “owned” the community of Clare. It’s an allegation his lawyer has pushed back against, calling the comments of police “overblown.”
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