Milton released on bail

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The leader of the Peigan Lonefighters Society is out of jail on bail.

The Calgary Court of Appeal granted Milton Born With A Tooth bail April 2. Born With A Tooth's lawyer Karen Gainer said she was worried her client would have to go through five bail hearings again before being released.

Following his arrest in September, Born With A Tooth sat through four hearings before finally being released on his fifth attempt in December.

Born With A Tooth will appeal a March 5 conviction on seven weapons charges and as 18-month sentence handed down in a packed Lethbridge courtroom March 25.

The charges stem from a Sept.7 confrontation at the site of a diversion channel on the Peigan reserve downstream from the Oldman River irrigation weir.

Rifle shots were fired when RCMP attempted to escort environment officials on to the site to inspect a breach of the irrigation dike by the Lonefighters. The Lonefighters are protesting construction of the $353-million Oldman Dam which is nearly complete.

Gainer said if "we win the appeal it'll mean a new trial which will take a long time."

His sister, Lorna Born With A Tooth, said she wasn't "expecting it at all. I thought it would be another five bail hearings because I don't have faith in the justice system."

Lorna said she's confident her brother will win his appeal, tentatively scheduled for May 27.