24 days in jail for resisting arrest on New Year’s Eve

By Jeremy Appel on January 16, 2019.

jappel@medicinehatnews.com @MHNJeremyAppel

A man guilty of resisting arrest and a breach of recognizance in relation to a New Year’s Eve incident at a local liquor store was sentenced Tuesday to 24 days in jail.

Dakota Brant appeared in provincial court via closed-circuit TV from the Medicine Hat Remand Centre.

According to an agreed statement of facts, police received a call around 2 a.m. that Brant was drunk and causing issues at a liquor store attached to a local hotel.

When they arrived, Brant threw a pen at one of the officers, the source of an assaulting a peace officer charge that was withdrawn in exchange for the accused pleading guilty.

The officers had to restrain Brant, which led to the resisting arrest charge.

“The police weren’t sure whether it was mental illness or intoxication,” said Crown prosecutor Ramona Robins.

Brant’s lengthy criminal record includes convictions of assault and obstructing a peace officer, although there was a five-year period from 2012-2017 when he stayed out of trouble.

The accused was sentenced by Judge Jerry LaGrandeur to 20 days in jail for resisting arrest and four days for breaching the alcohol abstention term of his recognizance. The sentence was a joint submission between the Crown and defence lawyer Robert Robbenhaar.

Brant has 24 days credit for time served, so he was released from custody.

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