•A date has been set for the trial of Michael Warren Watkin, 26, of Jasper, the alleged driver in a single-vehicle accident on the morning of June 1, 2008. Jasper Provincial Court will have a special sitting on Friday August 14 at 10 a.m. for the trial which will have at least three defense witnesses and is expected to be a day-long affair. Watkin, who has not appeared in court to date, has elected for a Queens Bench Judge Alone trial. The young Jasperite faces charges of impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm, operation of a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration greater than 0.08 per cent and dangerous operation of a vehicle causing bodily harm.

•On Feb. 20, 2009 four young adults, two male and two female, of Red Deer, were arrested for possession of a controlled substance and with the possible purpose of trafficking after they were seen driving aggressively Westbound on Highway 16 in a Chevy Venture Minivan. 

The two males, Shawn Johnson and Heath Degraff, who were held in custody since the incident, pleaded guilty of possession. 

All other charges against the pair, and the other two accused, were dropped after their counsel Richard Ireland suggested that the 44 ecstacy pills found in the car, after the RCMP searched the vehicle, was not such a large amount for addicts like the accused. Judge D.C. Norheim called the pair “career criminals” adding that he could see why, from their extensive records, they had not been released back into the community.

Counsel for the pair suggested to the judge that they had already served due time in custody for their actions under the two-for-one rule which credits double time to those awaiting trial or sentence. The Crown echoed this noting that the pair had already been in custody for two months, which would equate to at least four under the rule. 

Both men pleaded their case to the Judge, Degraff said he was “working on turning my life right now [but] being an addict is difficult.” Johnson echoed these sentiments and said he “accepts that I’ve screwed up again, [but] I am trying and working on changing our (his and his fiancé’s) life around.”

•A 48-year-old man was sentenced to 23 months and three weeks jail time for impaired driving and evading the police.

Shane Mark Smith had already been in custody for seven months and represented himself as the public heard how he drove erratically from Hinton to Jasper in the early morning of Nov. 5, 2004.

Smith evaded the police that pursued him West along Hwy. 16 until the Jasper RCMP detachment placed a spike belt on the road, after which he was arrested and taken to the Jasper RCMP station.

When sentencing Smith, Judge Norheim noted the “horrible” record that Smith had noting a similar incident back in 2000, where he was sentenced for 18 months.

Smith explained he had been sober since 2000 except for this particular incident when he “fell of the wagon”.