Amber Alert case could go to Charlottetown Supreme Court if man pleads not guilty

A P.E.I. man accused of trying to kill the mother of his child in late June was back in Georgetown provincial court Thursday. 

Andrew Blaisdell is facing an attempted murder charge and several others tied to an incident in eastern P.E.I. that led police to issue an Amber Alert. 

Six weeks after his arrest in Souris, Blaisdell still hasn't entered pleas in the case. 

If he doesn't plead guilty and the case goes to trial, the trial will happen before P.E.I. Supreme Court in Charlottetown, the court heard Thursday.

On June 20 at 4:30 a.m. AT, RCMP issued an Amber Alert saying a man had reportedly abducted a girl.

RCMP said they were alerted to an altercation at a house in eastern P.E.I. at about 1:30 a.m. that day. No one was at the home when officers arrived. 

Police allege Blaisdell fired a shotgun at the mother of his daughter, missed, and then held his daughter at gunpoint before taking off with her. 

Blaisdell and the nine-year-old girl were found at a home in Souris about an hour after the Ambert Alert was issued. 

The alert originally said both the woman and child had been abducted. Officers found the woman wasn't taken shortly before Blaisdell's arrest.

Blaisdell made his court appearance by video from jail in Charlottetown. His lawyer said he wants a chance to argue for his release while the case goes through the courts.

The other charges laid were:

• Pointing a firearm.
• Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
• Possession of a firearm without a licence.
• Possession of a prohibited weapon.
• Uttering threats to cause bodily harm or death.
• Theft of a motor vehicle.
• Breach of court orders.

The lawyers are set to present their arguments on whether Blaisdell should be granted bail at a hearing scheduled for next Tuesday.