The man accused of attempted murder in an April 2015 residential shooting in Stettler, Benoit Joseph Lacerte, made his first appearance in Alberta Provincial Court via CCTV on Thursday, Sept. 22.
Lawyer Dan Wilson asked that Lacerte’s plea be reserved – which means delayed – until the next Stettler court date, on Oct. 27, to allow Lacerte and his council to review the facts of the case before he pleads guilty or not guilty to the charge.
On April 7, 2015, police responded to a Stettler residence after a 911 call, only to find the accused and the victim not present. Police were eventually called to the hospital, where the victim was being treated for a gunshot wound.
The hospital was put on lockdown for a short period of time until the victim was airlifted to another hospital. Two people were arrested at the time but later released, uncharged.
According to Cpl. Cameron Russell, who is normally stationed in Stettler and is currently serving as acting commander of the Bashaw detachment, Lacerte is well known to police. Russell served in Stettler at the time of the shooting.
Lacerte was usually on the police’s radar for property crimes, Russell said. Lacerte did not have a history of violent crime, at least in Stettler, according to Russell. He could not confirm whether or not Lacerte had been involved, or allegedly involved, in violent crime elsewhere.
At the time, the shooting was the second one in a span of four months. Retired detachment commander, Sgt. Duncan Babchuk (retired), said at the time the community could be at ease as both the New Year’s shooting and April shooting were believed to be “targeted incidents.”
Bad Santa granted additional time
Shawn B. Steier, who is charged in the Christmas Eve 2015 gunpoint robbery at Wares Jewelers, appeared via CCTV from the Calgary Remand Centre, Steier was being held on other, unrelated charges when Stettler RCMP laid charges in the robbery.
Steier, like Lacerte, requested additional time to review the disclosed documents provided by police before entering a plea, and was set to appear again on Oct. 27.
Steier faces eight charges surrounding the robbery, in which he allegedly disguised himself as Santa Claus. Steier will enter his pleas at the next provincial court sitting on charges of disguised with intent to commit a crime, several firearms charges, several breach of conditions charges, as well as robbery with a firearm.
The next adult provincial court date in Stettler is Oct. 27, not Oct. 13 as normally scheduled.