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Former Halifax paramedic gets conditional discharge for drug theft

A former Halifax paramedic who tampered with narcotics from Emergency Health Services, has been given a conditional discharge.Zachary Ewan Dewar was sentenced in the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia in Halifax on Monday after he was charged in February 2013 with theft under $5,000, mischief and one count of possessing drugs.Dewar, a 27-year-old student at Dalhousie Medical School, was working as a paramedic at the time of the arrest. His employer at the time, Emergency Health Services, noticed a discrepancy in their internal system that tracks narcotics.He was fired and the province suspended his paramedic's licence after police alleged he tampered with vials of controlled substances including morphine and Valium.Dewar pleaded guilty to the charges earlier this year.Stan MacDonald, Dewar's lawyer, told CBC News his client has plans for the future and a conditional discharge was appropriate."The conditional discharge is important for him in the future in the sense that he plans to be a medical doctor," MacDonald said Tuesday."Given his future and the promising nature of it, he would be better served not to have a criminal record against him."Dewar will be on probation for two years and during that time he must complete 20 hours of community service and work with his probation officer to get substance abuse assessment and counselling. Dewar is also not allowed to take any controlled substances unless he is supervised by a doctor.At court on Monday, MacDonald said his client was sorry for his actions. "He certainly apologized to his employer and to his family and to all those around him who … he let down at the time, but also thanked them for the incredible amount of support that they've given him including people in the medical profession," said MacDonald. A former Halifax paramedic who tampered with narcotics from Emergency Health Services, has been given a conditional discharge. Zachary Ewan Dewar was sentenced in the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia in Halifax on Monday after he was charged in February 2013 with theft under $5,000, mischief and one count of possessing drugs. Dewar, a 27-year-old student at Dalhousie Medical School, was working as a paramedic at the time of the arrest. His employer at the time, Emergency Health Services, noticed a discrepancy in their internal system that tracks narcotics. He was fired and the province suspended his paramedic's licence after police alleged he tampered with vials of controlled substances including morphine and Valium. Dewar pleaded guilty to the charges earlier this year. Stan MacDonald, Dewar's lawyer, told CBC News his client has plans for the future and a conditional discharge was appropriate. "The conditional discharge is important for him in the future in the sense that he plans to be a medical doctor," MacDonald said Tuesday. "Given his future and the promising nature of it, he would be better served not to have a criminal record against him." Dewar will be on probation for two years and during that time he must complete 20 hours of community service and work with his probation officer to get substance abuse assessment and counselling. Dewar is also not allowed to take any controlled substances unless he is supervised by a doctor. At court on Monday, MacDonald said his client was sorry for his actions. "He certainly apologized to his employer and to his family and to all those around him who … he let down at the time, but also thanked them for the incredible amount of support that they've given him including people in the medical profession," said MacDonald.