UPDATE ! Halifax Children's Aid Workers Arrested on Gun and Drug Charges
Come see what goes on in court!
Melody Husbands and Shannon Johnson
Two drivers for the Halifax Children’s Aid
Arrested on gun and drug charges!
Scheduled to appear before the Halifax Provincial Court
Spring Garden Rd?
Monday, June 19, 1:30
-These drivers, drive children who have been apprehended
-They oversee supervised visitations
-They write up reports used in court
- They give testimony in court
Sorry it has taken so long to post these articles
Children’s Aid Society drivers suspended
Society bars two workers after drug, gun arrests
By DAN ARSENAULT Crime Reporter
Halifax Chronicle Herald , MAY 5, 2006
http://www.canadacourtwatch.com/CAS%20Files/2006May05-ChildrensAidSocietyDriversSuspended.pdf
Two women have been suspended from working with the Children’s Aid Society of Halifax after being arrested on gun and drug charges Monday.
Shannon Johnson, 28, and Melody Husbands, 25, were arrested with two men at an Ardwell Avenue address in Spryfield early Monday morning and were told Tuesday they won’t be working for Children’s Aid at least until their legal issue is resolved.
"We heard about it late Monday and responded immediately in terms of letting the service providers know that they were off our list," Barbara Williams, the acting co-ordinator of family and adolescent services with the society, said Thursday.
She wouldn’t say how long the two independent contractors had been doing work for the society. Their duties involved ferrying children who had been removed from their parents’ home to and from visits with them.
According to a society release issued Thursday, service contractors are screened annually through a police check, a scan of the child abuse registry, references and other steps.
At their arraignment in Halifax provincial court Monday, Ms. Johnson and Ms. Husbands told the court of their work and were granted an amendment to their release conditions to allow them out of their houses to do occasional work between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. [ WHAT? !] As well, they were given permission for the same reason to have incidental contact with each other.
The women were arrested at about 2 a.m. at an address Ms. Johnson shares with co-accused Trevor Miller, 26, court records show. Ms. Husbands’ address is listed as Tamarack Drive in Cowie Hill. Harold Patton, 27, of Connor Lane in Halifax was also arrested. All four were charged with possessing a weapon and drugs.
Halifax Regional Police say they seized a sawed-off shotgun, a large amount of marijuana, smaller quantities of morphine and cocaine, hundreds of ecstasy pills and thousands of dollars in cash.
Mr. Miller was remanded and the other three are free with conditions until all four return to court May 15 to plead to the charges.
Former Children's Aid worker pleads guilty
RICHARD CUTHBERTSON
Halifax Chronicle Herald, 09/04/07
A former independent contractor with the Children's Aid Society in Halifax pleaded guilty last month to one count of possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.
Shannon Johnson was arrested after a police drug search in May 2006.
At the time, Johnson was employed as a driver for the agency. The now 29-year-old ferried children who'd been taken from their homes to appointments with their parents.
She was suspended after being charged.
Earlier, another man arrested in relation to the bust was sentenced to four years in prison. Trevor Miller pleaded guilty to a number of drug and weapons charges.
Speaking of the Miller case, Crown attorney Tim MacLaughlin said a variety of drugs were seized, along with a sawed-off shotgun. The drugs included: 420 tablets of ecstasy, 14 kilograms of marijuana, 300 grams of magic mushrooms and an ounce of cocaine. Also seized was more than $6,500, two scales and two nightsticks. [The article above states that Shannon Johnson lived with Trevor Miller]
Johnson is due to be sentenced on May 28. Charges against Melody Husbands and Harold Patton were dropped earlier this year.