WESTLOCK – One of the thieves involved in the June 23, 2022, break-in at the Westlock Butcher Shop and has also previously admitted to cashing $1,200 in stolen cheques, will remain behind bars until late fall.
Appearing in Westlock Court of Justice June 14 via CCTV from the Edmonton Remand Centre (ERC), Tyler Rick Wells, 29, re-entered guilty pleas to break and enter commit theft, forging a document and assaulting a peace officer and received a 270-day jail sentence from Justice Robert Shaigec — the joint-sentence had been proposed by Crown prosecutor Nicole Parker and defence lawyer Crystal McMahon. In Westlock Provincial Court Dec. 14, 2022, Wells initially pleaded guilty to those three charges, with sentencing put over for completion of a pre-sentence report to include “Gladue factors”, which McMahon said Wells had waived.
Two additional charges of forging a document and failing to comply with release-order conditions, along with single counts of possession of stolen property under $5,000, possession of a prohibited firearm and mischief-damage under $5,000 were withdrawn by Parker.
McMahon said Wells, who's been on AISH since he turned 18 and suffers from ADHD, PTSD, mild Touretts, is bipolar, and “maybe borderline schizophrenic”, wanted to apologize to those “he’s hurt and scared.” Justice Shaigec gave Wells, who’s been behind bars for 88 days, credit for 132 which leaves 138 days to serve.
“It’s a sentence well within the range of what is typical given the offences committed, but also of your criminal record … I note that you have six prior convictions for violent offences,” said Justice Shaigec.
“I just want to apologize,” said Wells.
The butcher shop burglary
In court Dec. 14, 2022, Carmen Nutt, 30, pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property under $5,000, with Judge Thomas Achtymichuk agreeing to the joint-sentence submission from Crown prosecutor Brett Grierson and duty counsel Gail Gerhart on a $500 fine.
Court heard that Wells and Nutt, who are common-law partners, were tied to the butcher shop break-in that saw roughly $10,000 in “meat, spices, rubs, sauces, computer parts, cameras and tools” pinched.
Grierson previously said that during the RCMP investigation they went to the couple’s residence and found several of the stolen items “that didn’t amount to more than $5,000” while Wells had been a “party to the break and enter” and “helped steal the goods.”
“There was property from the break and enter in the residence that she was in possession of and she acknowledged that it was there and it had been stolen,” said Grierson on Nutt’s involvement.
Judge Achtymichuk waived the victim-fine surcharge for Nutt, who had a clean criminal record, and gave her until June 20, 2023, to pay it off.
Meanwhile, after reviewing video surveillance of the break-in, RCMP identified Travis Jean, 34, and obtained a search warrant for his residence where they found $6,000 worth of products from the heist. At Jean’s Oct. 5, 2022, sentencing hearing he received a five-month jail sentence, 18 months of probation and was ordered to pay over $2,100 in restitution to the victims of two of his crimes, but only admitted to possessing items from the butcher shop break-in and not participating in it.
In court Aug. 9, 2022, another co-accused, Angela Melissa Wells, 44, pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property over $5,000 and received a conditional discharge from Judge Clifton Purvis, who rejected a joint-sentence submission for a $2,500 fine and declined to impose a victim-fine surcharge. In addition to 25 hours of community service work, plus a 12-month probation order, Wells was barred from coming within 100 metres of the butcher shop and contacting Jean, who was her former common-law partner.
Finally, appearing in Westlock Provincial Court Nov. 9, 2022, via CCTV from the ERC, David Allan Lee, 24, pleaded guilty to break and enter-not a dwelling house, shopbreaking with intent, shoplifting under $5,000, use or traffic in stolen credit cards, obstructing a peace officer and failing to comply with conditions of an undertaking and received 195 days in jail and a $2,000 fine — in addition to the butcher shop break-in, Lee was fingered in a handful of other local crimes.
Wells’ other crimes
Grierson told court that on April 28, 2022, a woman contacted RCMP after discovering that her bank account had been drawn down $1,200 by three cheques that had been cashed by Wells April 25-27, 2022.
“He had forged the woman’s signature on the cheques and withdrawn the money without her consent,” said Grierson.
Meanwhile, just after 9 a.m., April 29, 2022, a Westlock RCMP officer was contacted by a Home Hardware employee that Wells was at the store and Grierson said, “there was suspicion by the RCMP he had warrants out for his arrest.”
The officer asked Wells to produce ID and when he attempted to arrest him he took “an assaultive stance” and “made a fist” and told the officer he “wasn’t going to jail.” Eventually, Wells placed his cellphone and wallet on the counter and then put his hands behind his back. When the officer approached Wells to arrest him, “he pushed the officer and ran out of the store.”
“The constable tackled Wells on the street and at that time a second officer showed up on the scene,” said Grierson.
