Bail hearings cancelled for Coutts accused
By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on March 4, 2022.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com Two more bail hearings for men charged with conspiring to kill police officers at the blockade near the Coutts border in February, have been cancelled.Chris Carbert, 44, was scheduled for a bail hearing Thursday in Lethbridge Court of Queen’s Bench, and Anthony Olienick was set for a hearing today, but both were cancelled at the last minute. The cancellations follow on the heels of a bail hearing that was cancelled Wednesday, as well, for a third accused, Jerry Mitchell Morin, 40.
A fourth accused, Christopher Lysak, 48, had his bail hearing Tuesday, and was detained in remand custody pending trial.
The four men each face a charge of conspiring to commit murder, an offence that is punishable by a maximum sentence of life in prison. They are also charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and mischief. Lysak faces an additional charge of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm.
All four accused are scheduled to return to provincial court on March 15 to speak to their charges.
RCMP arrested several individuals during the protest at the Coutts border, after becoming aware of a cache of firearms and ammunition. A blockade of trucks and vehicles had been at the crossing since Jan. 29, but protestors began dispersing Feb. 15 after weapons were discovered.
Police said they believe a small organized group within the protest was willing to use force against the police if any attempts were made to disrupt the blockade. During the early-morning raid Feb. 14, police uncovered 13 long guns, as well as handguns, a machete, a large quantity of ammunition and body armour. Two additional weapons were seized later in the day.
Nine other accused, who were charged and released on bail shortly afterward, also return to court on March 15. Ursula Allred, 22, of Magrath; Johnson Chichow Law, 39, of Calgary; Evan Colenutt, 23, of Raymond; Justin Martin, 22, of Raymond; Eastin Stewart Oler, 22, of Raymond; Joanne Person, 62, of Coutts; Janx Zaremba, 18, of Raymond; Luke Berk, 62, of Red Deer; and Jaclyne Martin, 39, are charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and mischief.
They are prohibited from contacting each other, and must not go within 200 metres of any protests or protest events. With the exception of Person, they are not to be any further south than Milk River, and they are not to possess any weapons. They must also live at specific addresses, as part of their release conditions. Follow @DShurtzHerald on Twitter 4
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