Short jail sentence over driver’s licence after more serious charges dropped

By Peggy Revell on June 14, 2018.

Medicine Hat News

Numerous property-related criminal charges were withdrawn Wednesday against a man arrested last September after Medicine Hat police received a tip over a stolen cargo trailer.

Instead, Justin Craig received a 15-day sentence after pleading guilty to being in possession of a driver’s licence that wasn’t his own after his arrest.

This arrest on Sept. 18 occurred after MHPS received a tip about a stolen cargo trailer being at a rural property near the Medicine Hat landfill. Police went to the property and found the two men —Craig and Travis Seitz — in the midst of transferring property from the trailer to a vehicle.

This property found was linked to other break and enters that had been reported to police.

Crown told the court that Seitz has taken responsibility for the stolen property. He pled out in December to possession of stolen property over $5,000, possessing of stolen property under $5,000 and four counts of breaching his release conditions. He received time served.

For having the driver’s licence, Crown asked for a sentence of 30 to 60 days.

Defence counsel said Craig found the item and just failed to turn it in, and requested that a monetary penalty be given instead.