PORT HAWKESBURY: After multiple adjournments, Frank Eckhardt’s case was once again before a judge, however, he no longer faces an extortion charge.
While Eckhardt was scheduled to appear in Port Hawkesbury Provincial Court almost a month ago, the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Services (PPS) advised the election and plea for his 13 firearm charges, along with the pre-trial conference for the extortion charge were put off numerous times from the original Nov. 14 court date.
“Generally speaking, pre-trial conferences are held to identify and address potential issues involved in a case,” PPS Communications Advisor Melissa Noonan told The Reporter in a written response on Nov. 15. “So the court’s time can be used as efficiently as possible during the trial.”
During his appearance on Dec. 6, the Grand River, resident was not present while the prosecution didn’t enter any evidence on his extortion charge. Eckhardt originally pled not guilty.
“Last Tuesday, the Crown offered no evidence on Mr. Eckhardt’s extortion charge,” Noonan said. “And it was dismissed by the judge.”
The immigrant couple made the complaint against the property developer, who markets local land to Europeans, returned to their home country of Germany and relinquished their rights to participate in the trial.
According to Richmond County District RCMP, their investigation into the 56-year-old started on Dec. 1, 2021 after they received a report from two individuals who claimed they were being extorted by their landlord.
In warrant information provided by the Nova Scotia Judiciary, police spoke with Sandra Schmidt on Dec. 20, 2021, and she told investigators that after moving to Canada from Germany in December 2020, she and her family lived with Eckhardt, then later bought land from him in Cape George.
When they opened a gym in St. Peter’s, the couple told officers they leased the building from Eckhardt, but when issues arose in the fall of 2021, that prompted them to end the lease agreement. They said Eckhardt was “not happy” and made threats, leading to the extortion charge. Schmidt told police that Eckhardt had weapons, including firearms and “keeps his guns loaded at all times.”
When officers contacted the Nova Scotia Department of Justice, they learned that Eckhardt’s firearms license was in review status after he was charged with extortion. Although his license includes restricted firearms, such as handguns, the RCMP said Eckhardt registered two restricted firearms in May, 2019 and a third in December, 2020.
Information on the warrant states the RCMP discovered Eckhardt was the subject of eight prior police investigations, beginning in 2018, and was the subject of a firearms complaint in August, 2021 when a female reported that she was “confronted” by a man carrying a long gun on Eckhardt’s property.
According to information provided to The Reporter by the Nova Scotia Judiciary, on Dec. 20, 2021, Port Hawkesbury RCMP received a complaint from Schmidt reporting gunshots at her property in Cape George. After meeting, the RCMP said they obtained a statement from her and her partner Dirk Westerhoff, who claim that Eckhardt was trying to intimidate them.
“Police learned that Schmidt and Westerhoff were on their property with their son cutting down a Christmas tree in the afternoon, (when) they heard two gunshots and hid in the woods until police were contacted,” the warrant application reads. “Schmidt and Westerhoff believed (however did not see) the shooter to be Frank Eckhardt who owns property beside them, and who they recently reported for extortion to the St. Peter’s RCMP. During the statements with Westerhoff and Schmidt, police learned of multiple firearms related offences committed by Eckhardt throughout 2021.”
On Dec. 23, 2021 the RCMP arrested Eckhardt during a vehicle stop on Highway 4 near St. Peter’s, and a short time later, they executed a search warrant at a residence on Smith Road in Grand River.
In addition to the long list firearms and ammunition, the warrant information indicated police also found $250,000 in Canadian currency in: a large envelop holding $100,000; a brown envelope with $80,000; a black pouch containing $29,050; an Amazon envelop in which $21,300 was found; a white envelope with $3,500 in it; and another envelope with $3,000.
Eckhardt is scheduled to appear back in Port Hawkesbury Provincial Court on Dec. 19, at 9:30 a.m. to answer to the firearms offences.
Noonan confirmed with The Reporter that Eckhardt’s current pending charges include seven counts of careless use of a firearm; two counts of possession of a firearm knowing possession is unauthorized; two counts of unauthorized possession of firearm; and two counts of possession of weapon obtained by commission of offence.