By Curtis Galbraith

Court

Court update: 42-month sentence after crime spree, two preliminary hearings set

Oct 19, 2020 | 6:00 AM

A man charged after a three-week crime spree earlier this year has been handed jail time by a Grande Prairie court.

Alberta Justice says Bradley Duff pleaded guilty to charges that included assault, flight from a peace officer, possession of stolen property over $5000, housebreaking with intent, and driving a motor vehicle while unauthorized October 14.

He was given a 42-month jail term, five-year license suspension, and ordered to pay close to $54,000 in restitution.

RCMP said at the time they were called to a business located east of Grande Prairie on Canada Day to a report of a break-in and an assault.

The suspect stole a JEEP and fled towards the city. Police later got reports of that Jeep being driven erratically, smashing into a business, ramming a parked vehicle twice, and getting into a hit and run with another vehicle.

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Beaverlodge RCMP found the Jeep in their community, where more damage had been done. The Jeep was stopped by a deflation device while speeding eastbound on Highway 43. The driver ran a short distance away before being arrested.

Duff was pursued by police for three weeks prior to all this after June incidents in Blue Ridge, Mayerthorpe, Barrhead, and High Prairie. The 42-month sentence covers the Grande Prairie and Beaverlodge charges.

Preliminary hearing dates set for RCMP members

Alberta Justice says preliminary hearing dates have been set for two Whitecourt RCMP members facing manslaughter charges.

The hearing for Corporal Randy Stenger and Constable Jessica Brown is set for May 3 to 14, 2021 in Stoney Plain Provincial Court.

They were initially charged with criminal negligence causing death after the fatal shooting of 31-year-old Clayton Crawford at the Chickadee Creek rest stop west of Whitecourt July 3, 2018.

A release from ASIRT says officers went to the rest stop and found a man asleep in a vehicle. A confrontation later ensued, the vehicle started moving, and one Mountie fired a service pistol while the other fired a rifle.

The vehicle went across the highway and went into the ditch.

This started after a July 2, 2018 incident where what ASIRT describes as “unidentified perpetrators” attacked a Valhalla Centre home and fired on the people living there. A man had fled the scene in what police describe as a “very distinctive vehicle.” RCMP had wanted to speak to him as a witness or possible victim.

An off-duty RCMP officer had spotted what was believed to be that vehicle at the rest stop and called it in.

Preliminary hearing dates set in Slave Lake murder

Alberta Justice says a preliminary hearing has been set in a Slave Lake murder case.

The hearing for Vernon Wayne Laboucan is scheduled for June 16 to 18, 2021 in Slave Lake Provincial court.

He was charged with murder after the stabbing death of 34-year-old Christopher Valiquette of Swan River First Nation at a Slave Lake home May 17, 2020.

Laboucan had also been facing an assault charge, but it was dismissed during a September 23 court appearance.