Lawyer Lyle Howe charged with sex assault

Lyle Howe, a defence lawyer in Halifax, is facing a charge of sexual assault.

Howe, 26, and another man areaccused of drugging a woman and sexually assaulting her last March.

Halifax Regional Police said MondaythatHowe and Jeffrey Brown are charged with sexual assault and administering a noxious substance. Brown is also charged with theft.

Howe was in court representing clients Monday and said "No comment" when CBC News asked him about the allegations. He is free to continue practising law while the allegations work their way through the legal system.

Howe isrepresenting Trevor Zinck, the Independent MLA charged with fraud in connection with an MLA spending scandal.

"I stand by him," Zinck said Monday.

Police say the alleged victim woke at a home in Fairview in March. She believed she had been sexually assaulted and went to a hospital. The woman said she knew one of the men, whom she met online. It was not clear which man she said she knew.

Howe is a junior lawyer and was called to the bar just over a year ago.

He was literally the poster boy for the law program at Dalhousie University andfeatured in the school's "Discover the Unexpected" campaign.

Howe is due in Halifax provincial court to answerthe charges on Dec. 15.