WESTLOCK – One of two men police say was involved in a crime spree near the Hamlet of Jarvie mid-January that saw the RCMP Air Services helicopter flown in, remains behind bars following his first court appearance.
In Westlock Provincial Court Feb. 1, defence lawyer Matthew Pagels appeared on behalf of Justin Robert Gervain who currently faces two Criminal Code charges each of mischief, damage over $5,000 and failing to comply with release-order conditions, plus single counts of possession of stolen property over $5,000, possession of stolen property under $5,000, theft of a motor vehicle, obstructing a peace officer, resisting a peace officer, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from police and operating a motor vehicle while prohibited.
Gervain’s Wednesday court appearance had been noted as a bail hearing, although he did not attend via CCTV from the Edmonton Remand Centre (ERC) and Judge Gordon Putnam agreed to set the case over to Feb. 22 — no plea was entered on the charges.
A second accused, Kyle Fletcher, is currently behind bars at the ERC and is scheduled to make his first appearance in St. Albert Provincial Court Feb. 13 where he’ll face two counts each of possession of stolen property over $5,000 and possession of stolen property under $5,000, plus single charges of mischief, damage over $5,000, theft of a motor vehicle, obstructing a peace officer and resisting a peace officer.
In a Jan. 26 interview, Westlock RCMP Cpl. Riley Sutherland said that in the late-afternoon of Jan. 19, they received a trespassing complaint from a rural property owner near Jarvie. There police found a stolen vehicle on the property, while two men had fled the scene on foot. Following, additional members were called in from the Athabasca and Redwater detachments, along with the Alberta RCMP Traffic – Westlock Unit, to help find the duo, who police say ended up stealing a second vehicle from within the Hamlet of Jarvie. Ultimately, the RCMP Air Services helicopter, in conjunction with the GPS unit within the vehicle, was used to track the men.
