25-year-old eastern P.E.I. man charged with attempted murder

A 25-year-old eastern P.E.I. man appeared briefly in court on a handful of charges including attempted murder on Thursday.

Owen Daniel MacDonald, from Albion Cross, was charged Wednesday in connection with an incident in Cardigan on November 28.

Few details have been released, but court documents allege MacDonald tried to kill a woman by choking her. 
Police say he assaulted her and drove dangerously in a way that put both the victim and the public at risk. Police say MacDonald and the victim knew each other.

In addition to attempted murder, MacDonald has also been charged with aggravated assault, assault causing bodily harm, dangerous driving causing bodily harm and dangerous driving.

RCMP Cpl. Gavin Moore said MacDonald was arrested earlier this week following an investigation by Kings District RCMP with the assistance of the RCMP Major Crime Unit.

He said the victim was sent to hospital, but didn't have any further information on the extent of the victim's injuries.

"These are charges that we don't encounter very often here on P.E.I., they are charges that speak to the seriousness of this incident," Moore said. "The severity of these charges do not come up often."

RCMP had said in a new release Thursday morning that the investigation could be subject to a publication ban, but the Crown didn't seek any such bans during the hearing.

MacDonald will stay in jail until his next scheduled court appearance on Dec. 19. He will be represented by Legal Aid and has not yet entered a plea.