TRURO -
A prominent member of the Millbrook band council has been sentenced to two year's house arrest after pleading guilty to drug and weapons possession charges.
Alex Cope, 45, of 780 Willow St., pleaded guilty to a variety of charges involving possessing marijuana and restricted weapons, careless storage of unregistered rifles and handguns.
In addition to his house arrest of two years (less a day), he must serve three year's probation following the conditional sentence and make a $7,500 donation to the Millbrook Community Youth Centre.
Cope is also banned from possessing or owning firearms and weapons for life and must submit a DNA sample.
Court heard that Cope, who has served as the Millbrook Band CAO for nearly 20 years, will be permitted to keep his job.
His common-law spouse, Nicole Williams, pleaded guilty to "simple possession" of marijuana and of unsafe storage of a firearm (a .45 caliber hand gun). She received a suspended sentence and a year's probation.
Cope and Williams were charged last February after RCMP conducted a search warrant on their residence after receiving a tip about unsafe firearms on the premises. A total of 16 rifles and hand guns and more than 400 grams of marijuana and various items used for growing and cultivating the drug were discovered during the search.
Full story to follow….
