Accused murderer makes brief appearance

The accused in Jasper’s first murder case in decades made a brief appearance in court via closed-circuit television (CCTV) from the Edmonton Remand Centre.

Cody Kyle Jensen, a thin and young-looking 21-year-old, appeared on the televisions in the Jasper courtroom for about a minute as his case was put over for a month to give lawyers more time to go over the details.

Jensen is accused of stabbing 22-year-old Kenzie John Beaton at the Tonquin Inn on Jan. 28. Beaton died later that day after being airlifted to hospital in Edmonton.

After scheduling Jensen’s next court appearance for March 8, judge John Higgerty told the young man he could leave the CCTV room.

“Thank-you sir,” Jensen replied. “Have a good day.”

Small amount of drugs, large amount of cash

A father and son caught with a small amount of marijuana and a large amount of money pleaded guilty to drug possession charges and agreed to forfeit $22,500 in cash that had been seized by police.

Charges of possession of property obtained by crime against Mark Benedict Horvath, 51, and Eric Andre Horvath, 19, were dropped after the pair pled guilty to possession of a controlled substance under an agreement reached by the Crown and defence.

The charges stem from an incident last year in which the pair were found in possession of under 30 grams of marijuana and $22,500 in cash.

The money was seized by police and, under the agreement, has been forfeited to the Crown.

Each man was ordered to pay $230 in fines for the drug possession charges.

Wrong licence costs hunter thousands

Shooting a mule deer without a proper licence has cost a hunter $2,500 and most of the money will be directed towards protecting wildlife in Alberta.

John Kontos was ordered to pay a $500 fine and an additional $2,000 that will go to Alberta Sustainable Resource Development’s Fish and Wildlife Division after he pleaded guilty to a charge of hunting without a licence.

Court heard that on Nov. 10, 2011, Kontos pulled over and parked a White Jeep Cherokee near a mule deer in a remote area about 18 kilometres northwest of Hinton. He then pointed a gun out of the driver’s side window and fired three shots at the animal, which he was not licensed to do.

Defence attorney Richard Ireland noted that Kontos had several hunting licences, including one to hunt mule deer, but that licence was not valid in that particular zone.

In addition to the fines, Kontos was suspended from holding a hunting licence for one year.

Drug trafficking deja vu

A man who has been in jail since he was caught for the second time in the span of a week with 19 pounds of marijuana has been sentenced to an additional 10 months behind bars.

Chien Thang Nguyen was initially arrested near Jasper on March 30, 2011, after an RCMP officer stopped his vehicle and found 19 pounds of marijuana inside. Nguyen was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking and released on a recognizance.

Then, on April 5, 2011, he was stopped by police again, this time near Grande Prairie. Police again found 19 pounds of marijuana inside the vehicle he was driving.

Nguyen has been behind bars for the 10 months since that arrest. After pleading guilty to the charges he was sentenced to serve another 10 months in jail.

$500 fine both ‘expensive’ and ‘cheap’

“Elevated circumstances” netted one man a higher-than-usual fine of $500 for growing a single marijuana plant.

Raphael Hassell pleaded guilty to production of a controlled substance, a charge stemming from a police raid at a Jasper residence on Oct. 4, 2011.

Court heard that police executed a search warrant on the home that Hassell shared with roommates and found several controlled substances inside, including cocaine in a “common area.” Hassell wasn’t home at the time but the marijuana plant was found in his room and he later admitted it belonged to him.

At least one other person faces more serious drug charges and a warrant has been issued for his arrest after he failed to appear in court in December. The Crown told court that the co-accused in this case “were the prime movers” of the cocaine.

Judge John Higgerty described the fine as a “pretty expensive lesson” for Hassell to not get mixed up with the wrong people.

“If you fly with the crows, you’re going to get shot at,” the judge said.

Hassell responded by saying the $500 fine was “cheap” compared to the possible consequences he could have faced.

Higgerty went on to say: “I wish more people could get the lesson to distance themselves from...”

“Stupidity?” Hassell interrupted, finishing the judge’s sentence.

“Yes,” Higgerty replied.

$5,000 fine for ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ mistake

A 26-year-old student from Kamloops, B.C., pleaded guilty to possession for the purpose of trafficking and received a $5,000 fine.

Court heard that Stephen William Stack was pulled over by the RCMP in the Jasper area on his way to Grande Prairie on March 11, 2011, and five pounds of marijuana were found inside his vehicle.

The Crown pointed out that a 12-month conditional sentence (house arrest) would be a typical penalty for this type of offence but noted this was “an exceptional case” because Stack has no previous criminal record and there was a “legitimate basis” to question whether police had “reasonable and probable grounds” to search the vehicle. As a result, the Crown sought only a $5,000 fine.

Kelowna-based defence attorney Stan Tessmer described his client’s actions as a “once-in-a-lifetime mistake” and noted Stack is a fourth-year business administration student at Thompson Rivers University who is due to graduate soon and hopes to find a career in marketing.

Judge John Higgerty agreed with the sentencing recommendation and while he told Stack the conviction may still have “career-limiting” consequences, he related to the young man a story from his own experience.

Higgerty said a friend of his, in his youth, was arrested on similar charges and ended up serving two years in jail but, 10 years later, was able to obtain a pardon and run for political office. That friend now owns a business which employs 25 people.

“He has now set himself up for a very productive and happy life and I hope you will too,” the judge told Stack.