Burnt Church man charged with sexual assault, confinement

A 29-year-old Burnt Church, N.B., man is facing four charges in connection to a sexual assault that allegedly took place on Sunday.

Curtis Bonnell is facing four charges, including sexual assault, unlawful confinement and resisting arrest.

The female victim has been identified only as MAWS.

When Bonnell walked into Miramichi provincial court on Tuesday morning, he immediately sat down, hunched over and covered his face.

Bonnell told Judge Geri Mahoney that he wasn't feeling well enough to stand up.

After the four charges against him were read in court, Bonnell was advised to consult with a lawyer beforehis bail hearing, scheduled for Friday.

He became upset and demanded that he skip the bail hearing and go on to the next legal step. He went on to swear at the judge and told Mahoney that he didn't care if he forced him out of the courtroom.

The judge removed him from court for the outburst.

He will remain in custody until thebail hearing.

Bonnell is the cousin of Hilary Bonnell, a teenager who went missingtwo months ago from the Esgenoopetitj First Nation, which is commonly known as Burnt Church.

The RCMP had officers and forensic investigators working Monday at the house on the First Nation where the alleged sexual assault occurred. Police were at the same house as part of a criminal investigation last week.

Police would not comment on the nature of the earlier investigation or on evidence seized at the house. Nor would they connect the search to the disappearance of Hilary Bonnell.