Man charged with sex assault set free

A man with a record of sexual assault who faces new charges from an incident on June 27 has been released unexpectedly after sheriffs failed to get him to court on time.

Robert Crowe, 22, of Cole Harbour, N.S., was supposed to answer to the charges on Monday afternoon, but sheriffs failed to get him from the correctional facility in Burnside to the courthouse in Dartmouth before the end of the day.

A judge said the man couldn't legally be held past Monday without an appearance, so Crowe was released without conditions. The justice department is investigating the failure, and police are concerned.

"We believe this individual is a danger to the community, and we felt the community was best served by him remaining in custody until his trial," police spokesman Const. Brian Palmeter told CBC News. "We certainly are concerned that he's now out in the community."

Crowe was convicted of sexually assaulting two teens in 2007 and served an 18-month prison sentence.

He is now due in court later this month to answer to the June 27 charges, which include sexual assault and breach of probation.

Until then, Palmeter said, there is not much police can do.

"We can obviously be aware of who he is and keep track of any complaints that might involve him, but it really becomes a situation of whether or not we could be seen as harassing an individual who hasn't been placed under any sanctions by the court."