Prison time for dangerous driving
A 22-year-old man will spend two years in prison after pleading guilty to numerous charges in relation to a drug-fuelled high speed pursuit that resulted in a collision between his stolen car and a semi tractor trailer on a one-way bridge on Highway 16.
On Aug. 20, Justin Normand stole a car in Hinton and subsequently pulled a gas and dash before heading west toward Jasper. Following the theft of gas, the Hinton RCMP alerted the Jasper detachment of a stolen vehicle heading west on Highway 16 at a high rate of speed.
The Jasper RCMP was then dispatched, deploying a spike belt west of Disaster Point. Normand proceeded to drive over the spike belt, but continued down the highway on four deflated tires, while dragging the belt beneath his vehicle. While being followed by an RCMP cruiser, Normand wove in and out of traffic to pass other vehicles on the road and travelled through the bridge construction zones—which have a maximum speed of 30 km/h—at between 60 km/h and 100 km/h.
Further down the highway, the spike belt came loose from the vehicle and the following RCMP constable had to stop his vehicle and retrieve it from the road to prevent other travellers from damaging their vehicles, before picking up the pursuit.
At the single-lane bridge construction, Normand then forced two vehicles to swerve off the road to avoid being struck by his vehicle, before he proceeded to drive across the bridge, ultimately wedging his vehicle between the bridge and a semi tractor trailer that was already taking up the bridge’s one functioning lane.
The damage to the vehicle was so significant that he, and his two passengers, had to be cut out of the vehicle following the collision.
Normand, who was already on probation from a previous crime in British Columbia that resulted in his license being taken away, pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property, failing to comply with a probation order, disqualified driving, dangerous driving and evading police.
During Normand’s sentencing, Jan. 14, Judge J. P. Higgerty said “it’s just a miracle no one was killed.”
Higgerty, who was privy to reports created by Normand’s probation officer and his doctor, said although he sympathizes with Normand, who suffers from learning disabilities, mental health issues and substance abuse, he has to keep the safety of the public in mind when choosing a sentence.
“You’re 22 years old, you’ve got your life ahead of you, and I think that this community, Jasper, and indeed Edmonton where you’ve spent a lot of your time, is safer if you have that two years of probation, but you’re getting that on top of jail time.”
Normand was sentenced to two years in prison, as well as two years of probation, and was also ordered to pay $3,481 in restitution to the insurance company.
Man jailed for theft from employer
A 53-year-old Jasper man has been sentenced to 42 days in prison for stealing $4,500 from a home he was hired to clean.
In court, Doug Charlebois pleaded guilty to theft under $5,000, admitting he stole the cash last July.
The owner of the home noticed the money was missing at the end of September 2015 and reported it to the police. In October, after Charlebois admitted to stealing the money, she returned to the Jasper RCMP detachment to press charges.
He then admitted to the RCMP that between July 1, 2015 and July 21, 2015 he stole three envelopes of cash containing $4,500.
The Crown suggested that although Charlebois didn’t have a prior criminal record, given the amount of money stolen and the fact that he was in a position of trust, the punishment should be two months imprisonment.
Speaking on behalf of Charlebois, defense lawyer Laurie Rodger told Judge J. P. Higgerty that this is the first time he has been in trouble with the law and has otherwise been an upstanding member of the community.
“He’s been here 30 years and this is the only time he’s been in trouble; he’s provided a lot of good to the community, it’s just something where he can’t really explain why he did it.
“He knows it’s wrong,” said Rodger.
As well as serving 42 days in prison, Charlebois was also ordered to pay restitution, returning the $4,500 he stole to the homeowner.
Fine for unauthorized drone in JNP
A video of aerial footage shot in Jasper National Park last August landed an unauthorized drone operator a $100 fine, Jan. 14.
According to the Crown, the footage was widely distributed on the Internet, catching the eye of Parks Canada and creating concern that the drone was operated without a permit.
On Jan. 14, Eric Wilson pleaded guilty to conducting a take off and landing within the park without a permit.
Upon handing down the $100 fine, Judge H. P. Higgerty expressed interest in seeing the video, to which the defense lawyer responded, “it’s actually brilliant footage.”
Drones, like all unmanned aerial vehicles, are regulated by Transport Canada. Within the National Park Air Access Regulations, a take off or landing of a drone requires permission from the superintendent of the park. Such permission is sometimes given when the drone is being used for natural or cultural resource management, public safety, law enforcement or park administration purposes, including filming for outreach, education and tourism purposes.
As such, the recreational use of drones is prohibited in national parks.
There is, however, a process for seeking a permit.
According to Steve Young, communications officer for JNP, the first step is to obtain a Special Flight Operations certificate or exemption from Transport Canada.
“Then, Parks Canada will entertain further action in advance for park management purposes by permission of the superintendent through a Restricted Activity Permit, provided the project supports Parks Canada objectives, there are no detrimental effects on wildlife or visitors, and there is no reasonable alternative means to obtain the same footage.”
A Restricted Activity Permit establishes the locations where the drone is permitted to fly, as well as the conditions for its use in the park.
Nicole Veerman
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