Fine and probation for Hatter who ran bicycle chop shop
By Peggy Revell on April 5, 2018.
A $1,000 fine, 12 months probation and the requirement to attend drug treatment court was the sentence handed down to a Medicine Hat man arrested last summer after police broke up a bicycle chop shop. “The issue I have is the undertaking you were involved the trafficking of bikes from children … not very commendable,” said the judge P.M. McIlhargey, during the sentencing of Darcy Fischer at the Medicine Hat Provincial Court on Thursday. McIlhargey added that he is familiar with drug treatment court in Calgary, and it has a number of successes — and Fischer going through that program would be positive for him and benefit society. Fischer was arrested last August after police executed a search warrant at a Flats’ residence. Multiple bike frames and parts to the value of $3,000 were seized. Not guilty pleas were originally entered with the first trial date ultimately adjourned by the Crown after only one of the six civilian witnesses showed. This difficulty with the Crown’s case, the court heard, was one of the reasons behind the joint submission for sentencing with defence counsel. Fischer also faces three counts of drug trafficking. It’s these charges he hopes to deal with through drug treatment court. The number of spots for this intensive treatment program is limited, but defence counsel told the court that Fischer is expected to be accepted to it, but only if he dealt with other charges — hence pleading guilty to the bike chop shop charge of possession of property obtained by crime — trafficking, instead still going to trial. 11-10
