Vogelsang to face preliminary hearing on Alberta robbery charges in November

Former Winnipeg broadcaster SteveVogelsang is expected toappear in a Medicine Hat, Alta. courtroom in November to face robbery charges.

Vogelsang, 54, is accused of robbing two banks in the Alberta city, three in Regina and one in Saskatoon.

Lawyer Greg White appeared on Vogelsang's behalf at provincial court in Medicine Haton Thursday. Vogelsang remains in custody in Regina.

White says he doesn't represent Vogelsang on the Regina charges, so isn't involved in the process of asking the court to move him to Alberta for the preliminary inquiry.

"He will be here for the preliminary inquiry, that's for sure," White said. "I don't have any control over that, but I trust that they'll make sure that he's here."

The inquiry is scheduled to last one day, Nov. 27. The Crown previously sought two days for the pretrial.

White says the preliminary inquiry offers a chance for the Crown to test out its case, and for the defence to get a sense of the evidence prosecutors have gatheredbefore going to trial.

"That's why we came today, we came to move matters forward, and that's what we did," White said after appearing in court Thursday with the Crown prosecutor to set the date for the preliminary inquiry.

Vogelsang taught journalism at Red River College in Winnipeg from 2002 until 2011. He previously worked as a sports anchor at what is now CTV Winnipeg before becoming the station's news director.