Crown drops charges against outspoken N.B. blogger

Assault and mischief charges against controversial blogger Charles LeBlanc have been dropped.

He has posted an email to his blog in which the Fredericton police say the Crown had decided not to proceed withthe criminal charges of assault or mischief laid after hewas arrested in April on the grounds of the New Brunswick legislature.

LeBlanc has been banned from the legislative assembly's grounds since 2006, but that has not stopped the blogger, who often writes about social issues and provincial politics, from attending protests.

Fredericton police arrested LeBlanc and removed him from the grounds after heattended a proteston the legislature's front lawnin April.

He went to court on June 15 but found the charges of assault and mischief had not been filed.

This wasn't LeBlanc's first brush with police. He was charged with obstruction of justice during a rowdy protest at a Saint John conference in June 2006. He was eventually acquitted of that charge.