TRURO, N.S. — A Truro man involved in a police standoff last week bolted from the courtroom Tuesday afternoon during a hearing to revoke his bail from the previous day. He was later arrested on Lavinia Drive, after running from police.
Colby Smith, 22, was released from custody on a $2,500 surety posted by his girlfriend Monday morning. Two of his release conditions included not being in the driver’s seat of a conveyance and to keep the peace and be of good behaviour.
However, hours after being released on bail, Smith was arrested in the vicinity of a Truro liquor store and charged with operating a motor vehicle while being ordered not to and failing to be of good behaviour.
During the process of setting a new bail hearing for Wednesday morning, however, Smith, who was seated in the courtroom and surrounded by several deputy sheriffs, suddenly raced across between the front of the judge’s bench and the attorneys’ tables, slammed open a fire exit door on the far side of the room and disappeared.
“Call the police,” one deputy shouted to another, as two of them tore off in hot pursuit. Minutes later, police sirens were heard blaring in the area as the search began.
Smith was initially arrested last Thursday afternoon (July 4) at a Lavinia Drive residence following a standoff with the Truro Police and heavily armed members of the provincial Emergency Response Team.
He is to scheduled to appear in provincial court Sept. 4 from that incident to enter pleas on multiple weapons-related charges as well as a charge of taking a motor vehicle without consent, damaging a fire extinguisher in the Truro police cells and two counts of breaching court recognizances. He is also to enter a plea at that time to a charge of assaulting a woman dating to Nov. 16, 2018, in Brookfield.
After his escape from custody on Tuesday, Smith’s defence lawyer, David Mahoney, asked Judge David Ryan to release him from the case. His request was granted.
During last Thursday’s incident, armed police surrounded an apartment building and access points to the area were blocked by police vehicles as officers turned back motorists driving along Kaulback Street. Some people were temporarily moved out of their homes while others were told not to go outside and to keep away from windows.
Smith is scheduled to be back in court on Wednesday, July 10.
