By EverythingGP staff

Court Update

Court update: Charges withdrawn in stolen property case, trial dates set for sexual assault, jail time in drug bust

Dec 16, 2020 | 5:25 AM

Alberta Justice says all the charges have been dropped against one person charged after the recovery of a large amount of stolen property. A stay of proceedings is in place in the case against the other.

Darren Farnsworth and Lacey Johnston, both of Grande Prairie, were due to stand trial December 10. All of Farnsworth’s charges were withdrawn.

Prosecutors have a year to come up with more evidence against Johnston or her charges will also be withdrawn.

They were arrested in February of this year after a search at a rural property near Teepee Creek.

Mounties said at the time around $200,000 in stolen property was recovered, including six vehicles, a holiday trailer, rims, and tires, three guns, a machete, and various tools.

Most of the items recovered were returned to the owners.

Trial dates set in sexual assault cases involving youth

Alberta Justice says trial dates have been set for the suspect arrested in connection with what RCMP called alleged sexual offences against female youth.

One trial will be held next September 15, another on September 16.

The suspect was arrested in January of this year in connection with alleged incidents that happened between October and December of 2019 involving youth known to the accused.

A court-ordered publication ban is in place.

Jail time for one person charged after drug arrest

Alberta Justice says one of the three people charged in a 2019 drug bust in Grande Prairie has been given a 456-day jail sentence.

Stacey Aaron Trotter of Grande Prairie was given the sentence after pleading guilty to a single count of possession for the purpose of trafficking. Six other charges were withdrawn. He was given 287 days credit for time already spent in custody.

A charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking against co-accused Lacey Hollingshead of Bluesky was withdrawn while a third person charged, Adam Patrick Byrne of Grande Prairie, remains at large.

RCMP said at the time that they were on patrol downtown around 1:30 in the afternoon on September 3, 2019, when they pulled over a stolen vehicle. Two people were arrested, and a search of the vehicle turned up crystal meth, cocaine, fentanyl, a taser, and cash.

A third person police believed was delivering more drugs was intercepted and arrested.

One man, six trials in High Prairie court

The last of six trials for a Whitefish First Nations man has been completed in High Prairie court.

Charges of assault and unlawful confinement against Jericho Boyd Grey were dismissed December 1.

In late October, Grey was given a 150-day jail sentence and a five-year driving prohibition after pleading guilty to charges of flight from a peace officer and possession of stolen property over $5000. Ten other charges were withdrawn.

He was handed a consecutive 90-day sentence November 10 after admitting to resisting a peace officer and driving a motor vehicle without insurance counts. Four other charges were withdrawn.

On October 13, Grey was sentenced to 30 days time served after pleading guilty to another resisting a peace officer charge. Six other charges were withdrawn.

A separate count of flight from a peace officer was withdrawn September 29, while he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle September 24 and was given a one-year license suspension. He had been facing flight from and assaulting a peace officer charges.

Grey was arrested in February on Canada-wide warrants and what High Prairie RCMP called at the time statutory release violations and numerous other warrants in various police jurisdictions.

He had fled from an attempted traffic stop but was later arrested at a Whitefish First Nations home.