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A young man stopped for a busted headlight was found to have a sawn-off gun in the car.
Alexander Dubeau was pulled over by Jasper police December 7, 2017, at 10: 50 p.m.
The 22-year-old’s licence plates did not match his vehicle and Dubeau lied to police about his identity using a friend’s passport.
Cops spotted a used marijuana pipe in the car and searched it, uncovering the 22-caliber sawn-off firearm.
“Weapons like this only have one purpose,” Crown prosecutor Michael Larrett said at Jasper court May 9.
Dubeau was processed in Jasper under his friend’s name and released.
He then turned himself in at Bonneville RCMP more than a month later and admitted his lie.
“These are extremely serious charges,” said Larrett, pushing for a jail sentence. “He was travelling in a national park on a known drug route with a weapon like this.
“He is unafraid to carry these weapons and has been fraudulent with a police officer.”
Dubeau said at the time of the incident he was in a “bad crowd.
“I was under duress,” he said. “Someone I had been associated with wanted to kill me. That is why I had that with me at the time.”
Defending Dubeau, Richard Ireland said Dubeau admitted to being involved in “nasty stuff” in the past and was involved with other people in the drug world.
Ireland said: “He wasn’t out to do harm to the public but to protect himself from people in the drug world.”
He said Dubeau had turned himself in when he realised the position he had put his friend in by giving a false name.
Ireland said Dubeau has some mental health issues and has had a lot of psychiatric testing but “nothing radically off the charts”.
And Dubeau is taking classes, working and making efforts to correct his behaviour and contribute positively to society.
Judge V. Myers said he believes weapons offences to be the most serious.
Sentencing Dubeau, he said: “I appreciate your comments that you had this weapon to defend yourself, but here’s the problem.
“You have struggled with mental health problems, you have struggled with drug abuse.
“When you have got somebody suffering mental health issues using drugs that person is likely to make bad decisions about using that firearm and what protection is.”
Myers said the weapon was scarier because it had been modified.
He said: “It has one purpose: To intimidate, to frighten, to injure. That’s what these weapons do.
“That’s why we try to keep them out of everybody’s hands.”
Crediting Dubeau for having no record, his guilty plea and informing the police of his real identity before “this thing blew up,” Myers gave Dubeau 10 months imprisonment to be served in the community.
He is under strict orders, including to remain at home 24/7 and not to consume any intoxicating substances, and he is banned for life from owning any restricted or prohibited firearm.
Caught in reverse
A Jasper man who lost his licence for drink-driving was caught behind the wheel of his truck when he moved it across a parking lot.
Troy Valcourt put his blue Ford truck in long-term parking by Home Hardware when he was banned from driving in December last year.
He hired a retiree from town to drive him around for work, and duty counsel Richard Ireland said he was “doing everything he could to honour those conditions.”
When snow removal time came around, Valcourt gave his keys to someone else to move his vehicle.
But when he came back a few days later on April 1, he saw his truck parked across stalls where it shouldn’t be.
Richard Ireland, acting as duty counsel, said: “Mr. Valcourt got the truck started and backed it up to the other spot to leave it.
“The bylaw officer saw him reverse it into the stall and all the effort has gone just like that.”
Valcourt pleaded guilty to operation of a motor vehicle while prohibited.
Ireland described the breach as “inadvertent,” but Crown prosecutor Michael Larrett said: “When criminally prohibited from driving you should not be behind the wheel of a vehicle.
“I appreciate it was not a public road and he was forthright with the officer but it will be a criminal conviction.”
Valcourt said it was “just bad judgement” and was fined $1,500.
The fox says ‘stop feeding me’
Feeding animals is a big no-no in Jasper National Park.
Animals can become used to human contact and become a danger to themselves and people.
On January 16, a member of the public called Jasper despatch to report a man feeding a fox in the industrial area.
Federal Crown prosecutor Ian Ross said the man was seen outside Jasper towing with food in his hand and the fox ate from it.
“Clearly in a national park animals are meant to be left wild,” said Ross.
“Habituated animals may not be long for this world.
“For Parks it is very important the feeding of animals is deterred.”
Logan Devlin was questioned by park wardens and admitted feeding the fox.
He was fined $1,000 in Jasper court on Thursday.
Judge Myers said: “They are cute and you like them and you feed them but it often leads to their demise.”
The drone ultimatum
A B.C. man who denied then admitted following a bear with his drone in Jasper has been fined $2,000.
On August 29 last year, a “bear jam” gathered on Highway 16 near the airstrip, about 10 minutes east of the townsite, after a black bear was spotted on the train tracks.
Pieter Willem Keijzer, who was travelling with his nieces who had never seen a bear, flew his drone over the animal to take photographs.
The incident was reported to park wardens who then investigated using social media and found Keijzer.
He initially denied flying the drone, but later pleaded guilty to contravening two Parks regulations: operating a drone in a national park and disturbing wildlife.
After taking time to review the case and similar cases reported by The Fitzhugh in October 2017 and October 2018, Judge V. Myers sentenced Keijzer Thursday.
He said: “Mr Keijzer entered a guilty plea and has no record, has personal circumstances suggest financial situation is dire, but he was not forthright with the authorities.
“He thought the bear was nonplussed. Keijzer is no bear whisperer. Bears show increased heart rate when drones are around.”
Keijzer was fined $1,500 for harassing wildlife and $500 for flying a drone.
Hotel drunkifornia
A woman on strict orders not to consume alcohol was found drunk and causing a disturbance at the Maligne Lodge hotel.
Cops were called to the hotel on March 30 by security who said two intoxicated women had locked guests out of hotel rooms and were screaming and banging on doors.
Jodie Dawn Lenihan, from Edmonton, and her friend were arrested and taken to the detachment.
There, it was found that 21-year-old Lenihan was accused and charged with assaulting a police officer in September 2018 and had to abide by certain regulations.
One of those was to not consume alcohol and she was rearrested for failure to comply.
Richard Ireland, acting as duty counsel, said: “At 21 you are subject to making errors of youth.
“She came with her friend to spend a weekend here knowing she was under an order and she did and she did that and knows she made a serious mistake.
“This has been brought home in a really real way - she can’t disregard orders she is undertaking.”
Lenihan was given a conditional discharge and five months probation.
No means no
A Jasper man has been convicted for repeatedly slapping a woman’s behind without her consent.
The woman was staying with a friend in Jasper and “something occurred so she left the residence and town,” said Crown prosecutor Michael Larrett.
She was interviewed by police on May 27, 2018, and told them she had been at his home when she bent over to do something and Nicholas Neef slapped her on the behind.
“She said not to do that and to respect her space,” said Larrett.
“He ignored her and slapped her again on the buttocks.”
Larrett said Neef continued to slap her in this area over four days when he was continually told not to do so.
The local appeared at Jasper court on Thursday to face charges of sexual assault and sharing an intimate image.
He pleaded guilty to assault, these charges were withdrawn, and he was fined $1,000 with 12 months probation.
Judge Myers said: “If somebody says no it means no.
“You didn’t know that then. I hope you do now.”
