A preliminary hearing date has been set for the parents of a drowned toddler.
Robin and Trevor MacDonald are charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life to their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Jade MacDonald, who drowned in July 2015.
Jade went missing from a park in the Lakes neighbourhood of Morinville, where she had been playing with her siblings on July 25, 2015.
An RCMP officer found the toddler unresponsive in the water of a nearby storm pond.
Despite efforts to save her life, Jade was pronounced dead by EMS.
The parents were charged nearly a year later. The court summons, served on June 29, 2016, shows that the charges extend beyond the date of Jade’s death – spanning 14 months, from June 1, 2014 to July 25, 2015.
During an appearance in Morinville Provincial Court on Thursday, the MacDonalds elected a trial by a Queen’s Bench judge and jury.
A preliminary hearing was set for April 5-6, 2017 in St. Albert Provincial Court, to assess whether there is enough evidence to justify sending the case to trial.
The MacDonalds have not yet entered a plea. If they are found guilty, they could face up to five years in jail.
