ATHABASCA – An area man who faces a six-month jail sentence for flight from police and possession of stolen property, also requested a year of probation in the hope that mandatory counselling will help kick his substance abuse problem that he says got him into trouble in the first place.
In Athabasca Court of Justice Aug. 21, Robert William Lysohirka pleaded guilty to flight from a police officer, as well as possession of stolen property over $5,000, as part of a joint submission between Crown prosecutor Sean Hume, and defence lawyer Richard Forbes. Two additional counts of failure to comply with release order conditions were withdrawn as part of the plea.
In addition to the six-month sentence, Lysohirka faces 12 months of probation, which includes mandatory counselling for drug and alcohol use as well as psychiatric treatment, and an additional one-year driving ban.
Justice Jeffrey Champion accepted the joint submission, but not before highlighting the danger that Lysohirka had put himself and others into with his actions.
“I think you’re the luckiest man alive … these flights from police officers are very concerning,” said Justice Champion. “These (police officers) are men and women who get up in the morning, they have breakfast with their families and then they go to work — they don’t expect people like you to put their lives in danger.”
Forbes said that Lysohirka, who appeared from the prisoner’s dock, had been in custody since his April 17 arrest, and had accrued 126 “real” days in custody which equates to 186 days equated at one-to-1.5. According to Forbes, Lysohirka plans on living with his girlfriend and young daughter while he serves his probation.
The facts
Hume told court that around 12:15 p.m., April 11, 2023, Athabasca RCMP were looking for the Lysohirka to execute outstanding warrants. As police pulled up to the residence in a marked vehicle, they saw him standing beside a truck with no licence plates. Lysohirka jumped into the truck and began driving at a “high rate of speed” through a field.
Later, another police officer saw the same vehicle driving north on the Colinton Road and when he activated his emergency lights, Lysohirka steered into the ditch and nearly struck the officer — Hume said that Lysohirka “held up a bag to cover his face” as he went past.
The officer began to pursue for a few minutes, before it became clear that the truck wasn’t going to stop. An hour later, police got a tip that Lysohirka was on the run in a nearby property in a treed area.
Lysohirka again fled, fleeing through a farmer’s field onto Highway 663, but they did not pursue, and he was later arrested.
On April 17, 2023, Athabasca RCMP received a 911 call reporting a suspicious man and a suspicious vehicle — the man was described as wearing all camo clothing and carrying a bright briefcase.
Residents stated that he was going around knocking on each door and disturbing the residents. When police located the vehicle, which they queried and found was stolen, they searched it and found a personal diary belonging to an individual known to be associated with Lysohirka.
Cops then got a phone call from another man who said that Lysohirka was hiding in his residence and he wanted him out. RCMP eventually located Lysohirka hiding under a pile of personal belongings and he later admitted to being the driver of the vehicle.
