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Campbellton - A former Campbellton limousine driver now living in the Sherbrooke area pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of possession of cocaine just as a preliminary hearing was to be held in Campbellton Provincial Court last week.

Jean Louis Leclair, 51, was to have an inquiry on whether or not there were sufficient grounds to warrant a trial on a single charge of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. Leclair changed his mind and through his lawyer Les Matchim came to a plea arrangement and joint sentencing recommendation to the included offence of possession.

Federal Crown Prosecutor Paul Hayes told Judge Pierre Dube that one gram of cocaine was found on Leclair when the limo he was driving was stopped in Campbellton on April 19, 2007. A search warrant was executed on his Aberdeen St. apartment where officers found an additional 12 gram of coke.

Hayes said that there may have been some evidentiary issues had the matter gone forward and presented Dube with a sentencing recommendation of a $1,500 fine and three year probation order.

Matchim pointed out that some costly decisions early in his life landed Leclair with only a Grade 5 education and that it was his first offence. As well, Matchim said Leclair had moved away and was not associating with the same people he knew while living in Campbellton.

Dube pointed out that cocaine is a hard drug that usually nets a jail sentence but agreed to the sentence and fined Leclair $1,500 as well as a victim fine surcharge of $225 for a total of $1,725 and put him on three years probation.