Charges stayed against Winnipeg man accused of handing out cannabis gummies on Halloween

The charges have been stayed against one of the two people accused of handing out cannabis-infused gummies to children on Halloween in Winnipeg last year.

In early November, Crown prosecutors entered a stay of proceedings on the 26 charges facing Sheldon Chochinov.

Chochinov and his wife Tammy Sigurdur allegedly gave out THC candies to multiple children in the city’s South Tuxedo neighbourhood on Oct. 31, 2022. The candy, according to court documents, were Ziploc bags filled with medicated marijuana ‘Nerds’ candy and seemingly name-branded candy bars.

The couple was charged with 26 offences each under the Cannabis Act.

According to court documents, Chochinov told a lawyer that the entire incident was a mistake made while “under the influence” when the two had run out of candy and decided to hand out their own personal “stash” of THC candy.

The documents say Chochinov and his wife regretted their actions.

READ MORE: Winnipeg couple used their ‘stash’ to hand out THC candy to children on Halloween

No reasons were given to the court as to why the charges against Chochinov were being stayed.

A spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada told CTV News in an email that the prosecution no longer met the ‘decision to prosecute test’ – a legal test that weighs the reasonable prospect of conviction and the public interest.

“As no reasons were provided to the court, no further information is available,” the spokesperson said in the email.

CTV News has reached out to Chochinov’s lawyer for further comment.

This all came nearly a month after Chochinov’s wife and co-accused, Tammy Sigurdur, pleaded guilty to charges of supplying cannabis to a young person, and possessing cannabis that is not packed, labelled or stamped. Sigurdur is expected to return to court for a sentencing hearing in January.

-with files from CTV’s Michael D’Alimonte