By The Canadian Press on September 23, 2024.
HAILEYBURY, Ont. – Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault in a northeastern Ontario court as his trial gets underway. The former Hedley frontman, dressed in a dark suit, stood up to enter his not-guilty plea today. Jury selection has begun for the trial that’s taking place in Haileybury, a community within Temiskaming Shores, Ont. Hoggard is facing a sexual assault charge for an incident alleged to have happened on June 25, 2016, in nearby Kirkland Lake. The Hedley frontman elected at the end of last year to be tried in the Superior Court of Justice by a jury. Arguments and evidence are expected to begin at the trial after jury selection is complete. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2024. 8