Curtis Sagmoen in court on a charge of assaulting a peace officer

Curtis Sagmoen was back in a Vernon, B.C. courtroom on Tuesday for legal proceedings ahead of a potential full trial.

He’s accused of assaulting a peace officer in October 2020.

The assault allegedly took place just over a week after police took the unusual step of issuing a public warning involving Sagmoen.

RCMP warned sex trade workers not to respond to requests for service from the rural North Okanagan area where Sagmoen lived as he was under a probation order not to have contact with people who work in the sex trade.

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The North Okanagan man has been convicted of assault causing bodily harm and using a firearm during an offence, in cases where the victims were sex trade workers.

Sagmoen’s lawyer told the court the assault is alleged to have occurred after police entered a property, having already determined reasonable and probable grounds for an arrest on an allegation of breach of probation.

However, before lawyers make arguments about the alleged assault itself, defence council is seeking to challenge both a search warrant and the legality of Sagmoen’s two arrests.

Notably, Sagmoen is not facing a breach of probation charge.

Sagmoen’s legal proceedings have generated a lot of public attention since remains of a missing teen, 18-year-old Traci Genereaux, were found on Sagmoen’s family farm in 2017.

No one has been charged in connection with her death.

Tuesday’s court appearances were brief.

Legal proceedings related to the assault charge are expected to continue Wednesday.

Sagmoen has yet to enter a plea.