N.B. man elects jury trial on stabbing charges

A young New Brunswick man who faces three charges from a stabbing during a gathering of Dalhousie University students on south-end Halifax streets in October 2022 has elected to be tried by a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge and jury.

Austin Wambolt, 20, of Moncton is charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

The charges were laid in October 2023 and were first in Halifax provincial court in November.

Defence lawyer Mathieu Boutet made the election for Wambolt recently in provincial court. Judge Kelly Serbu booked a preliminary inquiry in his courtroom for three days beginning July 2, 2025.

A preliminary inquiry determines if there is sufficient evidence for a case to proceed to trial. It’s also an opportunity for the defence to assess the strength of the Crown’s witnesses.

Halifax Regional Police were in the area of Jennings and Larch streets on the evening of Oct. 1, 2022, for unsanctioned Dal Homecoming events when they were approached by a 19-year-old man who had been stabbed.

The victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

In January 2023, police asked for the public’s help in identifying a suspect in relation to the stabbing.

Halifax investigators travelled to Moncton on Oct. 18, 2023, and, with the assistance of Codiac RCMP, arrested Wambolt without incident. He made a remote appearance in front of a justice of the peace and was released on a $500 bail order with one surety.

Wambolt is prohibited from possessing weapons and can only have a knife for preparing and consuming meals or in the immediate course of his employment. He cannot have any contact with the complainant and two other potential Crown witnesses.