WESTLOCK – A Driftpile woman who gave police a false name and was caught with 8.5 grams of meth during a traffic stop in Westlock this past fall faces a steep fine.
Appearing in Westlock Provincial Court Dec. 14 via CCTV from the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre, Jasmine Joy Bellerose, 35, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance, obstructing a peace officer, and failing to comply with release order conditions, while an identical charge of failing to comply with release order conditions was withdrawn.
Judge Thomas Achtymichuk agreed to the joint-sentence submission from Crown prosecutor Brett Grierson and duty counsel Gail Gerhart that’ll see Bellerose, a mother of two, pay $1,000 in fines by Sept. 29, 2023 — Grierson called Bellerose’s criminal record “slight” and noted only a single conviction from April 2021 for failing to comply with an undertaking.
Gerhart, noting Bellerose was waiving her right to a Gladue Report and was celebrating her birthday that day, said the woman “supports herself basically on welfare” and currently faces a handful of charges in two other jurisdictions.
“Putting (payment of the fine) off for a year is a long time notwithstanding your situation … people just forget about it and don’t really deal with it. So, I’m going to give you about nine months, so pay whatever you can, whenever you can,” said Judge Achtymichuk, who did waive the victim-fine surcharge.
Grierson told court that at 12:10 a.m., Sept. 13, 2022, a Westlock RCMP officer on patrol observed a vehicle with a blocked licence plate parked at a gas station. Bellerose was the driver and initially told police her name was “Jaslynn Gauthier.”
A search of Bellerose’s purse turned up 8.5 grams of methamphetamine, while the subsequent investigation revealed that Bellerose was on a release order that included a 10 p.m. curfew.
