WESTLOCK — A Westlock man was sentenced to a total of 200 days in jail last week for threatening to shoot a woman in the face, stealing a vehicle that had been left running in a parking lot and either resisting or fleeing from police on both of these occasions.
At Westlock Court of Justice on March 13, Sebastian Rhys Reddeman, 22, pleaded guilty to uttering threats, resisting a peace officer, theft of a motor vehicle and flight from a peace officer. Two other charges were withdrawn.
In keeping with the joint submission from the Crown and defence, Justice Gordon Putnam sentenced Reddeman to a single day in jail on the uttering threats charge (which was satisfied by his appearance in court), five days for resisting a peace officer, 75 days to be served consecutively on the theft charge and 120 days for the flight from police.
He was given credit for the 33 days he had spent in custody since being put into custody on Feb. 9, 2024. On an enhanced basis, that added up to 50 days, leaving Reddeman with 150 days left to serve.
He was also sentenced to an 18-month period of unsupervised probation for the uttering threats charge. In addition to possessing no firearms or knives during this time, he must have no contact or communication with the woman he threatened or to attend her residence, place of work or any associated place of worship/education.
Finally, a three-year driving prohibition was also imposed on the flight charge. All victim fine surcharges were waived.
When given the opportunity to speak, Reddeman said he wanted to do his time and " be able to go back to being a father,” noting that he had a four-year-old son and seven-month-old daughter.
“I am remorseful,” Reddeman added.
Putnam took note of the fact that Reddeman was the same age as his own twin daughters.
“It sounds like you’re trying to get your life back together. I wish you the best of luck, and I appreciate you taking responsibility and accountability,” he said.
Facts of the case
Crown prosecutor Jonathan Avey said that on Feb. 15, 2023, Westlock RCMP received a complaint from a woman at the Westlock Inn regarding Reddeman, who had been asked numerous times to leave the business in the days prior to her report.
The victim told police that Reddeman had returned to the Inn on Feb. 15, and after being asked to leave once again, he told the woman, “I should just shoot you in the face.”
Avey said the victim then called the police, and once Reddeman had left the building, she locked the doors.
Reddeman returned not long after and sat on a large rock near the entrance. He continued to sit there until RCMP officers arrived.
Avey said that when an officer informed Reddeman he was under arrest, he jumped up from a sitting position.
The officer then tried to place Reddeman under arrest, but Reddeman “pulled his arms away and attempted to flee,” Avey said. However, another officer assisted and both officers were able to put him under arrest.
In addition, on Nov. 23, 2022, the RCMP received a report from a woman who had her black Kia Optima stolen from the parking lot of a restaurant.
An officer attending the scene spoke to the woman, who indicated she had left her vehicle running in the parking lot while she stepped into the restaurant to pick up food.
A description of the stolen vehicle was sent out, and another officer spotted it driving along Highway 44. Avey said the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but the vehicle sped away and the police did not pursue it.
Two days later on Nov. 25, 2022, RCMP were patrolling in the Town of Westlock when they noticed a black four-door sedan parked near the Westlock Bowl on 100th Avenue.
The vehicle was not occupied, but when they ran the Vehicle Identification Number, police determined it was the stolen vehicle.
Avey said the officers seized the vehicle for forensic identification and some fingerprints within the Kia Optima matched up to Reddeman.
Reddeman was then arrested on Dec. 1, 2022, and during an interview, he admitted to stealing the vehicle.
Duty counsel later clarified that Reddeman had received some “false news” about his son and that prompted him to “grab the first vehicle he saw” so that he could check on him.
Other factors
Avey noted that Reddeman had a criminal record beginning with some youth convictions in 2016, with more charges appearing nearly every year after that.
“What we see from this is that Mr. Reddeman has been before the court consistently and more recently about once a year for one thing or another,” Avey said, adding that the 200-day sentence “will be the longest sentence that he’s served in custody.”
Avey said the guilty plea was to Reddeman’s credit, as he was wrapping up two different files and alleviating the Crown of the need to prove the offences.
On the aggravating side, Avey said property crime is an issue in rural Alberta particularly.
“The theft of a vehicle can not only inconvenience a person in the short term, but it can also have an impact on their livelihood,” he said.
Avey also noted that fleeing from police always presents a danger to the public, as it typically involves an accused speeding or engaging in other dangerous driving behaviour.
Duty counsel noted that while Reddeman had been previously aiming to go to trial on these matters, the young man was now ready to move on “and put his life on the path of rehabilitation.”
“He has his whole life in front of him, and he does have the opportunity now, Justice, to put his best foot forward and change the path he’s been on for some time.”
