Four men were caught partying at Horseshoe Lake, throwing lit logs into the water and leaving trails of food mess.
Park wardens spotted a car parked at the lake off Highway 93 on August 4 at 11:40 p.m, when the day use area was closed.
“Loud voices and music could be heard,” said federal Crown prosecutor Nathaniel Chelick at Jasper court Thursday.
“There is no camping permitted there so they investigated.”
Wardens hiked in and saw Dylan Fillier, Tanner Helgason, Ryan Krushen and Darren Tardif on the cliffs on the south east side of the lake.
They were throwing lit logs into the lake and drinking on the edge of the cliffs.
The park wardens approached the party.
“They found flavoured beer and open hard liquor,” said Chelick
“There were partially cooked hashbrowns in a pan.”
The foursome said they had parked and camped there the previous night and planned to again that night.
They led the wardens to their tent.
“There were food scraps, a cooler with meat and other items,” said Chelick.
“They had left a trail of beer cans and food scraps between the two locations.”
The wardens helped Fillier, Helgason, Krushen and Tardif pick up the animal attractants and hiked them out of the trail.
“These are serious infractions,” said Chelick.
“There is a very real danger with having animal attractants out like that, and the tent and fire observed causes damage to the park.”
All four accused entered guilty pleas to camping without a permit and were fined $1,000 each.
Judge V Myers said: “The park is a beautiful place and guys getting drunk and throwing sh*t into the lake? Wow.
“I sure hope you have learned your lesson. Please respect the park.”
Cuss the police
A man who shouted “f*ck the police” as he passed Jasper cops while on a night on the town landed himself in court.
Because Brandon Ellsworth didn’t stop there.
It was 1:30 a.m. outside the Atha-B nightclub and a member of staff said Ellsworth had called him a “douchebag”.
Cops told Ellsworth he was under investigation for uttering profanities to a police officer but he “approached police being argumentative about the ticket,” said Crown prosecutor Michael Larrett.
Ellsworth started to leave the area, but called “F*ck you,” back to police.
Constable Jérôme Berube-Bourgeois gave chase on foot and arrested Ellsworth.
Ellsworth spent the night in the detachment and was charged with mischief and resisting arrest.
“It was a lesson learned both that evening itself and through the fine,” said Larrett.
“Constable Berube-Bourgeois is not the smallest individual Jasper has patrolling.”
Duty counsel Jan Terhart said Ellsworth had been under the influence of alcohol.
“There wouldn't have been an issue if he had just taken the ticket and shut up,” he said.
Judge Myers replied: “If he’d stepped back and not said all of that crap he wouldn’t even have a ticket.”
Ellsworth apologised “for being so disrespectful to the officers”.
He pleaded guilty to engaging in conduct detrimental to a licensed place and his other charges were dropped. He was fined $1,000.
‘I know the rules’
Police were called June 7 with reports of an erratic driver.
According to the witness, a silver Ford Edge was speeding, unable to maintain the same speed, passing on solid lines and passing unsafely.
When police caught up to the vehicle, it had no licence plate.
The driver, Emmanuel Sarki, was ticketed for careless driving - a charge that usually comes with a $543 fine.
He pleaded guilty at Jasper court on Thursday.
Sarki, a student at Thompson University in Kamloops, claimed he did not recall overtaking on a solid line.
He said: “I don’t remember. I know the rules.
“I have been driving for five years and never got a ticket.”
Judge Myers said: “I appreciate you don’t have a record and that you don’t recall doing this.
“A financial penalty is different for someone with a full time job than you that has no employment but is in school.
“Just be more careful when you are driving.”
Sarki was fined $250.
Six chances
Cops pulled over William Lavigne in the early hours of February 20.
It was 1 a.m. and Constable Patrick Vallee smelled liquor on the man’s breath, said Larrett.
Vallee demanded a roadside breath test but Lavingne did not give a sufficient sample.
“He had six opportunities to provide but it failed to read,” said Larrett.
“He blew sufficiently for less than half a second.”
Lavigne had come to Jasper court from Ontario to deal with the matter.
Terhart said: “He offers apologies for his conduct.”
Lavigne was fined $1,300 and banned from driving for one year.
