All charges against Valerie Jean Morris were dropped after Stettler provincial court heard she was only helping a homeless friend, Johnathan Wilson-Martin, who was on parole. Wilson-Martin was sentenced to 180 days in jail.
Morris appeared in Stettler provincial court Aug. 23 facing five counts of possession of stolen property, possession of break-in instruments and possession of a controlled substance. Co-accused Wilson-Martin appeared via CCTV from Red Deer Remand Centre.
According to Red Deer lawyer Jason Snider, Wilson-Martin was living in a tent on Morris’ yard in Stettler.
“Miss Morris was an old friend of his. He was having trouble establishing himself while on parole and she allowed him to stay (in the yard) while he got on his feet.”
Crown prosecutor Blair Brandon told the court that on July 18, 2018, Wilson-Martin is alleged to have brought a truck back to her residence and was spray-painting it in her yard where he lived in a tent.
“He was trying to change the appearance of the vehicle.”
Police were called and during their search, they found other stolen items, including the tent and ID documents.
The crown asked the court to give Wilson-Martin a six-month jail sentence.
Judge. W. A. Skinner said vehicle theft is becoming a “very serious concern” in rural and urban areas but told Wilson-Martin that he was giving him a break because of his early guilty plea and the lack of the strength of the Crown’s case against the defendant. Judge Skinner sentenced Wilson-Martin to 180 days in jail for possession of stolen property, less 45 days already served. The Crown dropped all charges against Valerie Morris.