Accused in Coutts case waiting on bail decision
By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on July 2, 2022.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com One of four southern Alberta men accused of conspiring to kill RCMP officers during the protest at the Coutts border in January and February, won’t know until later this month whether he’ll be released from remand custody pending his trial.Following a two-day bail hearing Wednesday and Thursday in Lethbridge Court of Queen’s Bench, Madam Justice Johnna Kubik reserved her decision until July 18. In the meantime, Jerry Morin will remain in custody, along with co-accused Anthony Olienick, Chris Carbert and Christopher Lysak, who were previously denied bail.
Information and evidence provided during the bail hearing, as well as the reasons for the judge’s decision later this month, are subject to a publication ban.
All four men are, by direct indictment, to stand trial in Court of Queen’s Bench. Direct indictment, which was previously filed by the Crown, bypasses the defence option for a preliminary hearing.
The accused were charged in February with conspiracy to commit murder, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and mischief by impeding the lawful use of property. A person found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder is liable to imprisonment for life.
The charges stem from alleged offences in the Village of Coutts during the border protest, when police seized numerous long guns, handguns, a machete, ammunition, high capacity ammo magazines and body armour.
Nine other individuals were also arrested in relation to the protest and charged with mischief by impeding the lawful use of property and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Ursula Allred, Johnson Chichow Law, Evan Colenutt, Justin Martin, Eastin Stewart Oler, Joanne Person, Janx Zaremba, Luke Berk, and Jaclyne Martin, were released shortly after their arrests, and the matters for all the accused, with the exception of Zaremba and Person, are scheduled to return to provincial court next Friday. Person’s next court hearing is set for July 25, while Zaremba, whose matter was in court Tuesday, is set to stand Trial on Dec. 6. He was scheduled for trial on Dec. 5, but it was changed during his court appearance Tuesday.
Person, who is self-represented, also faces one charge of dangerous driving, stemming from an incident Feb. 1 when a pickup truck drove through the blockade and headed toward oncoming traffic before becoming involved in a head-on collision. Follow @DShurtzHerald on Twitter 4
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