Crown withdraws mischief charge against former MP Peter Penashue

The Crown has withdrawn a mischief charge against former MP Peter Penashue. 

The Innu leader was charged with mischief over $5,000 in March, after smashing out a car's windows outside of a home in Sheshatshiu. 

At the time, Penashue said he bought the home for his son and grandchildren but his son relapsed and sold the house to drug dealers for cocaine and cash.

Penashue says the drug dealers moved into the house and began selling drugs from the property.

Video taken at the time and posted on social media showed police leading him away in handcuffs. 

"I didn't have any other options," he said Thursday, after the charges were dismissed. "The band council, who technically is the legal owner of all the homes in the community, could not do anything, did not want to do anything. For whatever reason they just would not take a position. The police were not intervening, to charge all the illegal activity that was taking place. Government wasn't doing anything. No one was doing anything. So I made it my position that I have to do what I can to support my grandkids."

Penashue was supported in court Thursday by his family and a representative from the Innu communities in Quebec, Guy Bellefleur. Penashue told CBC the Innu communities in Quebec share similar concerns around drug trafficking. 

He said the chiefs from Quebec and Labrador are planning to meet in March to share information and start a conversation on how to stop drug trafficking in their communities — something Penashue says everyone needs to be on the same side to make happen.

"Everyone is frustrated in the community. Elders are frustrated, they're worried, they can't sleep," Penashue said.

He said three of his four children have had trouble with drugs. Two are in recovery and one is in jail. He says that there are others in the community in similar situations who don't know what to do, where to go or who to call. 

WATCH | Peter Penashue says drugs are a major concern in Labrador:

Crown withdraws mischief charges against former MP Peter Penashue

16 hours ago

Duration 3:02

Last March, police led Peter Penashue away in handcuffs for smashing car windows. He was charged with mischief over $5,000. On Thursday, in provincial court in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, the Crown withdrew the charges. Penashue spoke passionately about how desperation and anger fueled his actions, saying his family and others can’t escape the drugs in Sheshatshiu. The CBC’s Regan Burden reports.

Penashue and his wife are currently caring for two grandchildren and worry about their future.

"How do we prepare them to avoid that kind of dark side of life," he said. "It's challenging, if I'm thinking about it then there's other parents and grandparents that are thinking about it. We need to have a serious conversation and we need to have everyone working together to push this discussion forward."

He believes that the community needs to take a stronger position against drug trafficking and there need to be stronger enforcement and punishments for drug dealers.

Penashue says the population of Sheshatshiu is growing fast but the community won't have much to look forward to if they can't get a handle on the situation.

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