Whitecourt court highlights: Man gets 85 days for liquor store theft, curfew break

Joshua Carter, 33, appeared in-person before the Alberta Court of Justice in Whitecourt on July 14 to plead guilty to two charges. An agent confirmed guilty pleas to the charges, which were theft worth under $5,000 and failure to comply with a release order, according to the docket. “The guilty plea is accepted,” Justice Gerry Annetts said. Crown [...]

Article content Joshua Carter, 33, appeared in-person before the Alberta Court of Justice in Whitecourt on July 14 to plead guilty to two charges. An agent confirmed guilty pleas to the charges, which were theft worth under $5,000 and failure to comply with a release order, according to the docket. Recommended Videos “The guilty plea is accepted,” Justice Gerry Annetts said.

Crown representative E. Sanfacon told the court that on April 13, the Whitecourt RCMP responded to a reported theft at a liquor store. Two women and a man entered, and the two women made purchases, but Sanfacon said the man left the store without paying for an item. Police identified the suspect as Carter and also identified him on surveillance footage taken at a gas station, Sanfacon told the court.

Carter was later released on conditions and permitted to live in a residence, but a second issue arose on April 29, Sanfacon said. The Whitecourt RCMP conducted one curfew check and then another, and found Carter wasn’t present, Sanfacon told the court. Sanfacon asked for a 40-day sentence for theft and a consecutive 45-day sentence for the breach, arguing this sentence would reflect Carter’s record.

The agent confirmed the proposed sentence was a joint submission and would amount to time served for Carter. Carter did not address the court. Following the joint submission, Annetts sentenced Carter to 40 days plus 45 days consecutive, along with a fine.