Patrick Brazeau charged with uttering death threats, cocaine possession

CTV News Channel: Details on bail conditions Criminal lawyer Tanya Thompson discusses Patrick Brazeau's bail conditions.

Suspended senator Patrick Brazeau is spending the night behind bars after being charged with uttering death threats and cocaine possession.

Brazeau, who was arrested in Gatineau early Thursday morning, was also charged with breach of bail conditions and two counts of assault.

The 39-year-old has pleaded not guilty to all five charges and the case was put over until Friday.

The charges stem from an overnight incident at Brazeau’s Gatineau home.

Police say they were called to a home on Labrosse Blvd. shortly before 4 a.m. for a domestic disturbance. When they arrived they found a man and a woman in the midst of a “physical altercation” on the front porch.

"The female was complaining about being assaulted by the man, and we're talking about domestic violence in that case," Const. Pierre Lanthier told reporters Thursday.

Police arrested the man and searched him. They say a small amount of “white powder” was found on his person, and indicated they would send the powder to be analyzed to confirm if it was cocaine.

A second man was at the home at the time, and was the victim of a “physical threat,” police said.

Brazeau’s official charge sheet identified the second man as Marc Lamontagne, aged 50.

Lanthier told CTV News Channel that the female party involved in the incident is Brazeau's “ex-girlfriend.”

Outside of the home, a pile of belongings were tossed in the backyard. Among  the items were paper with Senate letterhead and what appeared to be Brazeau's Indian status card.

The incident is the latest in a series of legal troubles for the 39-year-old suspended senator.

Brazeau was booted from the Conservative caucus in February 2013, after he was charged with assault and sexual assault following an altercation with a former girlfriend.

Crown attorney Sylvain Petitclerc said because of the charges laid last year, "We cannot just let him go free as a bird like that."

Brazeau is scheduled to appear in court Friday.

Last November, Brazeau, Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin were suspended from the Senate without pay, amidst an ongoing investigation into improperly claimed expenses. Following outside audits, all three were ordered to repay thousands of dollars in expenses.

On Feb. 4 of this year, RCMP charged Brazeau and former senator Mac Harb with one count each of fraud and breach of trust over their Senate expenses.

Brazeau is alleged to have improperly claimed close to $49,000 in housing expenses, after claiming his father’s home in Maniwaki as his primary residence in order to receive a taxpayer-subsidized allowance.

None of the allegations have been tested or proven in court.

The Prime Minister’s Office distanced itself from Brazeau Thursday. PMO press secretary Carl Vallee told CTV that Brazeau “will have to face the full force of the law” if he is found guilty of any charges.

“I would also add he’s no longer a member of our caucus,” Vallee said.

Brazeau had most recently been working as a manager at Ottawa strip club Barefax. Club management told CTV Thursday that Brazeau is a “model employee” and has never exhibited bad behaviour at work. Brazeau normally works four shifts per week, but was not scheduled to work on Thursday.

With files from Andrea Janus and a report from CTV Ottawa's Catherine Lathem