Accused kidnapper to face judge and jury

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on May 10, 2023.

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Medicine Hat News

A Medicine Hat man accused of kidnapping has elected to have the matter dealt with at King’s Bench by judge and jury, Medicine Hat Court of Justice heard on Tuesday.

Lester Landry was charged in January after Medicine Hat Police said the well-known advocate for people with disabilities had confined a woman he had hired to do housekeeping in his vehicle before she was able to leave the vehicle when it slowed, according to a police report at the time.

Landry, 65, did not appear in docket court on Tuesday, but his attorney Marc Crarer told court that paperwork had been filed on behalf of his clients, who has not entered a plea.

Crown prosecutors consider the charge an indictable offence.

The matter was forwarded to the court scheduling office to determine the time of a one-day preliminary hearing later this year which will determine if the matter proceeds to trial.

[Editor’s note: this article has been updated to clarify information that was presented in a police release of the incident.]