Public urination results in $415 fine

An Edson man has pleaded guilty to publicly urinating at a campsite outside of Jasper and then failing to show up in court.

Teddie Hunt appeared in Jasper Provincial Court and has been fined $415 for charges of improper disposal of waste and failure to attend court.

“What waste did you dispose of?” asked Judge Don Norheim at the beginning of Hunt’s court appearance on April 8.

“I urinated outside in an alley,” said Hunt, who then clarified that the alley was the inside part of the campsite.

The incident happened in July 2009 and Hunt had been scheduled to appear in court in February of this year. But he did not show.

Hunt said he couldn’t pay the fine immediately because he had no cash or credit card.

“You were not smart in the way you’ve been handling it,” Judge Norheim said of Hunt’s charges before adding that failure to appear in court for charges can lead to a criminal record.

Pot smoker found guilty

A man pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana in Jasper and has been fined $115 for his crime.

Dwayne Thomas Moore pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) at the April 8 sitting of Jasper Provincial Court.

The court was told in January, Moore was approached by a RCMP officer in town who said he smelled a distinct odour of marijuana coming from his jacket.

Moore told the officer immediately that he had been smoking the drug. A subsequent police search of Moore found that he possessed under 30 grams of marijuana.

“My reasons for using were for my back surgery,” Moore told the court. “I was honest because I just thought it was the best thing to do.”

Moore has until May 13 to pay the fine.

“If you haven’t paid it by then, then you will have to come back to explain why,” said presiding Judge Don Norheim, who added that if he was not happy with the answer, Moore could face jail time.