By Sue Tiffin

Two men charged with second-degree murder in separate occurrences that happened weeks apart in 2019 both made court appearances last month.
Norman Hart’s last court appearance was on March 26 this year, and was set for pre-trial. His next court appearance is also set for pre-trial, on April 19. His trial date is currently set for Jan. 24, 2022.

Hart, a resident of Dysart, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder on June 18 after Haliburton Highlands OPP were called to a house along Highland Street in Haliburton where they found the deceased body of Robert James Brown, 49, of Haliburton.

A preliminary hearing for Robert Ferguson was held in a virtual court session on March 30 and will continue on April 6. A trial date has not yet been set – the matter is still before the Ontario Court of Justice.

Ferguson, a Highlands East resident, was 58 years old at the time he was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after the death of 29-year-old Dylan Dahlke, a Dysart et al resident, in the early morning hours of July 6, 2019.

The preliminary hearing will continue Tuesday morning in a virtual session, in Courtroom 6 at 9:30 a.m. A publication ban is in place at this time, “until the accused has been discharged or, if ordered to stand trial, the trial has ended.”

For more information, visit www.ontariocourtdates.ca.