Trial of former private Christian school administrator cancelled, next steps unclear

A former administrator charged with assaulting students at a private Christian school in Saskatoon was scheduled to have a jury trial this week.

But while the jury was told to go home and the court was expecting a guilty plea on Monday, that didn't happen.

Ken Schultz, a former director and vice-principal at Christian Centre Academy, is charged with assault with a weapon for allegedly striking students with a wooden paddle in the early 2000s. He is also charged with sexual assault.

Christian Centre Academy has since been renamed Legacy Christian Academy, then Valour Academy.

Schultz had elected to have a jury trial, but earlier this month re-elected to have a trial by judge alone. A resolution to the case was expected to happen in Saskatoon Court of King's Bench on Monday.

However, his lawyer Shea Neudorf said in court Monday that "discussions broke down" with Schultz when they were discussing "plea comprehension" — essentially, what's involved in a guilty plea — and the defence team was "not in a position to proceed."

She asked Justice Krista Zerr for an adjournment until Friday.

Crown prosecutor Sheryl Fillo told the judge she had been prepared to proceed until she was told the defence would be applying for an adjournment.

The judge granted the adjournment and scheduled a conference call between herself, the lawyers and Schultz on Friday afternoon. She said the reason for holding a conference call rather a court appearance was an "attempt to avoid members of the public and interested parties attending court if the matter is not going to proceed in a substantive way on Friday."

They're expected to discuss Friday whether they'll be setting a court date for an anticipated joint submission and sentencing, or whether the defence lawyers will be withdrawing and Schultz will have to find a new lawyer and set new trial dates.

Schultz is not the only administrator from the school charged with hitting students with a wooden paddle.

Last week, a jury found Duff Friesen, a former principal, guilty of one charge of assault with a weapon and not guilty on three others. He is awaiting sentencing. There is a publication ban on all the evidence at that trial, as Friesen has another jury trial, on seven similar charges, set for September.

John Olubobokun, a former director at the school, stood trial on nine counts of assault with a weapon. The provincial court judge in his case heard closing arguments earlier this month and is scheduled to give her verdict on July 21.