One-way ticket

A man has been banned from entering Jasper for 15 months after pleading guilty to assault.

Glenn West, a 31-year-old originally from BC, physically assaulted his former girlfriend on November 2 after a verbal altercation in their apartment.

West threw a coffee cup on the floor before grabbing the complainant by the arms and throwing her onto a bed. The next morning, West told the woman that “she was lucky that he didn’t kick her teeth out,” said Provinical Crown Prosectuor David Clifton as he read the circumstances of the charge.

West admitted to the circumstances as read, but added that the complainant had been hitting him before he grabbed her. West had previously served three months for assaulting the same woman in Langley, BC and was still on probation for that offence when he was arrested. He was found to be in possession of a small amount of marijuana, a violation of the conditions of his probation.

Judge Donald Norheim sentenced West to serve one day in jail and to a further 15 months of probation, recognizing that West had already been in custody since his arrest earlier in the month and that there had been a “low level” of assault committed.

In addition to the usual conditions of the probation, West is barred from contacting the complainant and from being within the Jasper town boundaries. 

West, who intends to return to British Columbia, was accepting of the terms of his probation.

“I just want to get on with my life,” he said. “She can stay here and I’ll never come back again.”

In addition to his new 15- month probation period, West was fined $500 for violation of his previous conditions.

Influenced

Two hefty fines for alcohol-related offences were levied in Jasper Provincial Court last Thursday.

Owen Beach will have to pay $1,200 after a conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol. Beach is also on probation for the next year and will be compelled to complete a 21-day residential substance abuse program before April, 2006.

Judge Norheim acknowledged that the fine was stiff, but said that he was concerned over Beach’s long history of problems with alcohol.

“This isn’t one mistake, one night,” Norheim said. “This is a lifestyle.”

Norheim ordered Beach to appear before him on April 13, 2006 to review his progress and warned that a conditional sentence or jail time could follow if Beach has not followed the terms of his probation.

“You’re going to have to take responsibility for your life and for this problem,” Norheim said.

In an unrelated case, Kelley Alexa Morehead was fined $1,100 after pleading guilty to driving with a blood alcohol level higher than the legal limit.

After being pulled over by RCMP, Morehead failed a roadside sobriety test and blew a staggering 280 when subjected to a breathalyzer test. A 280 score indicates that Morehead had an estimated 0.28 per cent alcohol level in her blood. 0.08 per cent is the legal benchmark.

“I’m amazed, I’ve never seen anyone that young with such a high reading,” Judge Norheim told Morehead, who is 23 years old. “Most people just can’t get that high.”

Morehead had been drinking beer and tequila shots just prior to her arrest, which may account for the high percentage result, the court was told.

In sentencing Morehead to the substantial fine and 18 months of probation, Norheim cited the apparant level of inebriation as a reason for the severity of the punishment. Participation in a residential program was not, however, part of the terms of probation.

With no prior record, Morehead will be given the opportunity to avoid further troubles with alcohol on her own, but Norheim warned that should she violate the standard abstinence clause of her probation, he would force her into a program.

“It would be a shame for a young person such as yourself to throw your life into a bottle,” Norheim said.