NEWS FILE PHOTO The Medicine Hat Provincial Court is seen in this file photo. A man who, along with his mother, was charged in an unlawful confinement incident from October 2018 has pled guilty.
jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel
A mother and son who were accused of forcibly confining a woman in October 2018, robbing and attempting to extort her, have both pled guilty.
Matthew Babitzke, who had a preliminary hearing last week to determine whether there was enough evidence to proceed with trial, opted to plead guilty to one count of forcible confinement.
He’s been remanded pending sentencing, which is scheduled for April 9.
Theresa Babitzke was originally slated to be sentenced Tuesday, but had her matter adjourned to April 11 while counsel awaits a pre-sentence report.
She pled guilty to unlawful confinement and trafficking methamphetamine in December 2018.
A third co-accused – Amanda Kaye – faces charges of robbery, unlawful confinement, extortion and assault with a weapon, as well as breaches in connection with other offences. Her next court appearance is also scheduled for April 11.
The trio was arrested following an Oct. 24, 2018, incident, where they allegedly held a woman captive in a house in the city’s southeast by tying her to a chair before beating her with an iron pipe, robbing and attempting to extort her.
When police arrived, the victim’s right eye was bruised, nose was bloody and she wasn’t wearing shoes.
Police said at the time of their Oct. 26 arrest they believe the incident was drug-related.
In their initial court appearance on Oct. 30, court heard that Matthew is a recovering alcoholic who “swapped one addiction for another” when he moved in with his mother, a meth dealer.
