Larry Watson appeared at Alberta Provincial Court in Stettler on Thursday, June 9 by CCTV from Red Deer remand centre to handle a problem with his bail.
Watson, one of four people originally charged following a methamphetamine lab bust in February, was originally released on bail, but violated his release conditions and was re-arrested.
The second time, Watson was granted bail with a $25,000 cash or property surety. He tried to use his property north of Stettler as that surety, but Community Corrections would not accept it as the wording was not clear. As he did not have the money for the surety, he was not released from remand.
The Queen's Bench adjusted the release conditions to read $25,000 cash or property, but corrections would still not accept, sending the matter yet again back to court.
Judge G.E. Deck heard the case and said that the involvement of the Queen's Bench may make it not possible for him to make a ruling or adjustments.
Watson's counsel brought forward two cases, one from 1982 and one from 2013, to show that precedent had been set in the past allowing provincial court to adjust bail agreements made by the Queen's Bench. After a recess and consideration, Judge Deck adjusted Watson's bail to make the provisions clear, paving the way for Community Corrections to accept the property as surety.
Rear-ender leads to lost licenceA collision on Highway 21 on March 27 has resulted in a year-long ban on driving and a hefty fine.
The court heard that Karran Maritorena rear-ended another vehicle while driving southbound on Highway 21. Both Maritorena and the driver of the other vehicle pulled over, and the driver of the other vehicle and his wife spoke with Maritorena to exchange insurance information.
The Crown Attorney said the driver "observed impaired behaviour" from Meritorena and advised his wife to phone the RCMP, and a member from the Bashaw RCMP detachment attended the scene.
There, Maritorena was observed to display signs of severe inebriation, including slurred speech, inability to remain upright and required assistance out of her vehicle.
She was taken to the detachment where she told police she had two or three drinks in Ferrintosh, though her blood alcohol reading suggested that was not accurate.
Meritorena's counsel advised the court that Meritorena believed she had drank three rum and cokes while waiting for her pizza, but she phoned the establishment the next day and discovered she had drank four. Further, she learned that the server "free-poured" rather than measured shots accurately, which led to a heightened state of inebriation on her part.
Meritorena had no previous record, pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, and is not a regular drinker, the court was told. However, given that she was in a collision while driving on a highway, the Crown asked for a fine higher than the minimum required by law.
After considering the situation, Deck agreed with the Crown, fining Meritorena $2,000 plus the 30 per cent victim surcharge. In addition to the fine, she had her licence revoked for 12 months, though after three months she may apply for the interlock ignition program at her own cost.
She was given six months to pay the fine since she had lost her job, as it required her to be able to drive, and had not found employment in the interim.