WESTLOCK – A Westlock man has been sentenced to 120 days in jail and a two-year driving prohibition after pleading guilty to theft over $5,000 and flight from police.
Brandon Matthew Kandt appeared in Westlock Court of Justice Feb. 12 by CCTV from the Edmonton Remand Centre to face charges stemming from an incident in Aug. 3, 2024, when he fled from Westlock RCMP officers in a stolen truck.
Kandt has been in custody since his arrest and was denied bail in November on separate drug trafficking charges. The federal Crown said he is proceeding by indictment on those charges, which have gone to Edmonton Court of King’s Bench. Kandt pleaded not guilty to those charges and elected to be tried by judge alone. He is charged with four counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking drugs, possession of tobacco that wasn’t stamped, flight from police, dangerous driving, two counts of driving without insurance, possession of property valued over $5,000 obtained by crime, failing to attend court and failing to provide an accident report to police.
Court heard that Kandt, a Westlock native, worked in the oil field for approximately nine years. During his bail hearing in November, Justice G. A. Rice warned that Kandt faces significant jail time if convicted on the federal drug trafficking charges.
