Only hours after being convicted and fined on June 26, for driving while unauthorized, Cheryl Hoffarth was pulled over while driving by police – still with no licence.
As a result, Hoffarth appeared in Alberta Provincial Court on Thursday, Sept. 10 and pleaded guilty to driving while unauthorized.
The court heard that Hoffarth, who had been convicted and fined in the morning of June 26, was pulled over by police later that evening.
Hoffarth, through a lawyer, said that her child's father was supposed to pick up the child but then could not. Unable to find a ride, she drove the child herself, and that is when she was stopped.
The Crown asked Hoffarth receive a heftier fine because of the second offence, something Judge E.D. Reimer easily agreed to.
"This persistence in behaviour will eventually find yourself penalized with a level of incarceration," Reimer told Hoffarth. "You have personal responsibilities that should keep you from doing that," he added, referring to Hoffarth's child.
Hoffarth, who was fined $500 the first time for driving without a licence, was this time fined $700, victim surcharge inclusive.
Drugs and failed appearances mean troubleClyde Wooden appeared at court to answer to charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of a controlled substance, and failure to comply with undertaking.
The charges come from a Dec. 21, 2014 incident where police on patrol spotted Wooden and thought the accused was trying to conceal a knife. When they stopped Wooden, a strong smell of marijuana was noticed and the man was arrested and searched.
During the search, police found LSD, crystal meth and cocaine, plus a number of other items. It was not said during court if one of those items was a knife.
After processing, Wooden was released on a condition to appear in court, but failed to do so. Wooden was loose until June 12, when a traffic stop by police.
Wooden, a passenger in the vehicle, was recognized by the officer who pulled over the vehicle and was arrested.
Wooden pleaded guilty to three of the five charges, and the other two were withdrawn by the Crown.
For the three remaining charges – one from the original arrest, one from not attending court, and one for giving a false name in the vehicle, Wooden faced a cumulative fine of $900, plus the victim surcharge.
Judge cautions against vigilantismDaniel Lutz was sentenced to six months probation with a conditional discharge, plus restitution for his vandalism of a vehicle in a parking lot near the Skate Park on July 28.
On the day, the driver of the vehicle was apparently doing donuts in the gravelled parking lot, and in doing so, was spraying nearby parked vehicles with gravel.
Lutz went over to tell the driver to stop it, and a verbal altercation occurred, before the driver left.
As the truck passed him, Lutz lashed out, punching the truck, knocking a piece of the front off the truck.
The 19-year-old man pleaded guilty on his first appearance for a charge of mischief, and while the Judge granted a rather lenient sentence for him, considering the situation, he also had words of caution for him.
"Vigilantism isn't permitted," Judge Reimer said. "If you have a complaint to make, make it to police. Don't take it into your own hands."