Smashed

A man already on probation pled guilty to a count of mischief in provincial court last Thursday (November 10) after breaking two windows at Pete’s Club the previous night.

Stanley Carson was also charged for breaching the terms of his probation, which had forbidden the consumption of alcohol or entry into a licensed premises other than a restaurant.

Carson was instructed by Judge Donald Norheim to pursue entry into a residential treatment program for alcohol addiction.

“It will be a very significant factor in sentencing,” Norheim said.

Last laugh

Ed Torterson pled guilty in absentia to disturbing the peace Thursday. The charge stemmed from an incident that occurred this July 4 around Fisherman’s Bay on Maligne Lake. Torterson was part of a group of campers that succeeded in disturbing neighbouring tent sites throughout the night with loud laughter and obnoxious conversation. 

One witness claimed that Torterson was carrying on at a “volume similar to a person successfully yelling at a referee from the upper deck of a stadium,” according to Vaughn Myers, prosecutor for the Federal Crown. Torterson was fined $300.

Rough guide to Jasper

Three Winnipeg men were each fined $200 for camping illegally in September of this year. Marcin Nosek, Christopher Olynyk and Daniel Rarog had set up an illegal camp along the Snaring Road that was discovered September 17 by park wardens. The group had attempted to obscure their campsite from view and later bemoaned the fact that they had not been successful, according to prosecutor Vaughn Myers.

The three had been wanting to climb in new areas of the the Park, Myers said, adding that their major concern was that they could be “blacklisted” and prohibited from entering the Park again as a result of their actions.

Houle lot of trouble

Tyler Houle was indicted in Jasper Provincial Court Thursday on a variety of charges that come from his involvement in a lengthy police pursuit that began elsewhere but ended in the Jasper area. Houle is facing 13 counts in total, including reckless driving, failing to stop for a police officer, possession of a stolen vehicle, stealing fuel from a service station and possession of a stolen credit card. The remaining charges are eight counts of fraudulent possession of credit card data. Houle, who was in custody during his time before the court, will appear again on November 24.

Card tricks backfire

A man hailing from the general environs of Grande Prairie was sentenced  to jail time last Thursday after he pled guilty to several charges including possession of a stolen vehicle and fraudulent use of a credit card.

27-year-old Rodney Salter and his girlfriend, Barbara Davidson, were apprehended on October 26 after using the credit card in question to pay for a room at the Park Place Inn and for a meal at a local restaurant. Salter also admitted to holding a false document, specifically a criminal record check that he had doctored in order to apply for employment with Parks Canada in Jasper. Salter had a prior record and would have required a clean legal slate to pursue a job with the federal agency.

Salter and Davidson had travelled to Jasper after Salter was laid off from his job in Banff.

The matter against Davidson will be heard in the Grande Prairie Provincial Court, where she faces other unrelated charges. Davidson has a minor record of criminal activity but is a recovered methamphetamine addict, the court was told. Salter had told his lawyer that he had committed certain of the criminal acts in order to support Davidson as he feared that she might relapse into her drug addiction if he did not.

Judge Norheim was somewhat sceptical of this explanation as he handed down his judgement.

“You have an extensive record and I only partially buy your excuse that you were looking out for your girlfriend,” he said, sentencing Salter to serve eight months.