Taken with good intentions

Johnathan Kirk Smith pleaded guilty to a mischief charge after stealing a laptop from the restaurant at the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre.

Victims need more support: Judge

When serving Ann Marilyn Connell a fine of $400 after she pled guilty to a charge of careless driving, Nornheim said that victims of crime were often not given sufficient support to deal with the offence and these were often compounded by problems associated with waiting for a disposition or other court proceedings.

Late night 

S. Travais Galbraith, 27, of Edmonton, pleaded guilty to a charge of impaired driving after five court dates.

Taken with good intentions

Johnathan Kirk Smith pleaded guilty to a mischief charge after stealing a laptop from the restaurant at the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre.

The laptop, which belonged to a security guard on duty, was taken by the Edmontonian who was intoxicated at the time and had seen a game he wanted to play on the computer.

The boy’s counsel argued that Smith went back out of his room to return the computer, though when the security guard spotted him, he followed Smith back to his room which resulted in his arrest.

Smith was discharged on a conditional probation of 30 hours community service to be completed by Sept. 1 that will see him not possess nor consumer alcohol or drugs during the six months.

Judge D.C. Nornheim told Smith that he should “be careful about stupid actions in the future.”

Victims need more support: Judge

When serving Ann Marilyn Connell a fine of $400 after she pled guilty to a charge of careless driving, Nornheim said that victims of crime were often not given sufficient support to deal with the offence and these were often compounded by problems associated with waiting for a disposition or other court proceedings.

Connell wept in court as she told of how she had been the victim of abuse prior to her charge and was suffering from post-traumatic stress when she was caught driving erratically 20km south of Jasper on Sept 11, 2008.

According to Connell’s lawyer, the Canmore nurse was a “responsible” citizen that had “respect for the justice system.”

Both counsel and Connell pleaded with Nornheim to not suspend her licence as she would need it to commute from Canmore to the Alberta’s Childrens Hospital in Calgary, and he responded by agreeing that victims need more support and giving her a $400 fine.

Late night 

S. Travais Galbraith, 27, of Edmonton, pleaded guilty to a charge of impaired driving after five court dates.

Galbraith, a professional fighter, had been first spotted by the police on the evening of Nov. 20, 2007 in a disturbance behind the Park Place Inn. The RCMP officer had detected the smell of alcohol on the Edmontonian and observed the 27-year-old as impaired. Later that evening Galbraith was seen operating a vehicle and was arrested for impaired driving. 

Nornheim revoked Galbraith’s driver’s license for one year and charged the man $1, 300 for impaired driving.

While the judge recognized Galbraith’s guilty plea, he suggested that it didn’t hold the same “weight” as it would have if he had pled guilty on his first court appearance.