Three Weyburn men charged with the abduction and aggravated assault of a Weyburn man made their first appearance in Weyburn provincial court on Monday, with two of the accused pleading not guilty.

Gregory Ian Stewart, 24, and Jared Charles Stewart, 21, both pleaded not guilty. Gregory had a preliminary hearing set for April 15, 2004, and Jared had his preliminary hearing scheduled for April 19, 2004.

A third co-accused, Teodoro Georghiades, 30, did not enter a plea, and will reappear in court on Dec. 4.

The three face charges that include aggravated assault endangering life, unlawful confinement, uttering threats, assault with a weapon and assault. The charges were laid after a four-week investigation by the Weyburn Organized Crime Unit, an integrated unit comprised of city police and RCMP members.

The charges were laid after a man was taken from a local bar on Sept. 3 and taken to a field near Halbrite where he was viciously beaten and left lying in the field. The victim was spotted by a truck driver the next morning, and the man was taken to hospital where he spent five days in Intensive Care.

Also in provincial court on Monday, Adam Kiraly, 21, was sentenced on a number of charges, including assault with a weapon, obstruction of justice, uttering threats and a number of breach of recognizance charges.

He had spent 37 days in custody, which is counted as double that of normal jail time. On the obstruction charge he was sentenced to time served, and for the balance of the charges he was sentenced to a four-month conditional charge to be served in the community, followed by eight months of probation.

Meanwhile, the Weyburn RCMP are investigating a break-and-enter to Midale Central School, and are asking for the public's assistance.

The break-in occurred some time between Oct. 23 and 26, when someone broke into the school and stole a JVC stereo system.

Anyone with information on this offence is asked to call the RCMP, or the toll-free Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers tips line at 1-800-222-8477. Callers do not have to reveal their identity and calls are not recorded or traced.

Tips which lead to an arrest of those responsible are eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.