By EverythingGP staff

Court

Court update: Jail sentences given out, preliminary hearing date in murder case set

Oct 29, 2020 | 6:00 AM

Alberta Justice says a Grande Prairie man has been given a total of five years in jail after pleading guilty to charges related to two arrests.

Matthew Robert Best was given 873 days credit for time already spent in custody.

Two years of the five-year term came after he pleaded guilty to a count of possession for the purpose of trafficking. Nine other charges were withdrawn.

Best and two others were charged on March 22, 2019, after what RCMP described as an assault and forcible confinement investigation where drugs and a firearm were seized. No charges related to assault or forcible confinement went ahead. Drug, weapon, and breach charges against the other two, Robert Wade Stewart and Garrett Kenneth Forrest were withdrawn in February after a preliminary hearing had determined there was not enough evidence to proceed.

Best was also given three years in jail after pleading guilty to assault with a weapon, possession for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm related to a 2018 arrest.

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97-day sentence given

Alberta Justice says a man charged after a pair of incidents has been given a sentence of time served in jail.

Joshua Walters-Dugas was given the 97-day sentence October 14.

He pleaded guilty to charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public, unauthorized possession of a firearm, and two more of failure to comply with an undertaking in connection with an August 7 arrest. Eight others were withdrawn.

RCMP said at the time they were called to a report of a suspicious vehicle parked near the Canfor bridge. A man and a female youth were inside. The man came out holding a knife but dropped it was taken in.

Police also seized brass knuckles from the driver and a replica handgun, machete, cocaine, and backpack containing drug paraphernalia from the vehicle.

The 97-day sentence also covers guilty pleas to three charges from an arrest in March of this year. Those include obstructing a peace officer, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public, and failure to comply with an undertaking. Five others were withdrawn.

Preliminary hearing date set in Peace River murder case

Alberta Justice says a preliminary hearing date has been set in a Peace River murder case.

The hearing for Daniel Sawan is set for February 1.

He is facing a murder charge after the July 16 death of a 42-year-old man in Peace River.

RCMP said at the time they were called out just after 4:30 p.m. to a report of an unconscious man outside an apartment building near 101 Street and 101 Avenue in Peace River. The man’s name was not released by the RCMP.

Sawan was arrested and charged the next day.

Sentences given in DeBolt break-in

The two people charged after a break-in on Valentine’s Day 2019 resulted in $200,000 damage to items belonging to a DeBolt-area business have been sentenced.

Danielle Myler was given a six-month conditional sentence October 20 in Grande Prairie court after pleading guilty to a charge of possession of stolen property under $5000. Four others were withdrawn. Conditional sentences are served in the community and come with several restrictions.

In August of last year, Travis Brander pleaded guilty to shopbreaking with intent and possession of stolen property over $5000. He was given a 270-day jail sentence, with 165 days credit for time spent in custody.

Police recovered copper wire and other stolen property worth around $10,000 during the investigation.