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Court

Court update: Sentence given in Peace River murder case, sentences in two more, trial dates set in others

Dec 23, 2021 | 6:00 AM

6.5-year prison sentence for man charged in Peace River murder case

Alberta Justice says a man charged after the death of another man near Peace River in 2017 has been handed 6.5 years’ worth of jail time.

The sentence for Kyle Dubroy-Clement was handed down December 17 in Peace River court.

Dubroy-Clement had been found guilty of charges of robbery with violence, accessory to murder and break and enter – not a dwelling house in May. He was found not guilty on a charge of manslaughter.

He will be given 10.5 months credit for time already spent in jail

He was charged after the May 17, 2017, death of 20-year-old Lawrence Robert Butt.

His body was found in a burned-out trailer along Reno Road East.

In 2019, Blake Murphy of Grande Prairie was given a life sentence with no chance of parole for 10 years after pleading guilty to a second-degree murder charge.

Paige Eileen Burkinshaw of Grande Prairie is due back in court January 17. She is facing charges of manslaughter, robbery, and accessory to murder.

Two other people had previously pleaded guilty to accessory charges and were handed short jail sentences.

Sentencing in bait vehicle operation

Alberta Justice says one of three people charged in a bait vehicle anti-theft operation in Grande Prairie has been sentenced to time served n jail

Cheynee Mitchell of Grande Prairie was given 60 days after pleading guilty to a charge of theft under $5000 and 15 days for failure to comply with a release order.

Five other charges were withdrawn.

In June of this year, Grande Prairie RCMP said they had completed a four-week operation that saw a bait vehicle planted in higher crime areas. These were picked based on information from crime analysts.

One of the other people charged, Allan Cloutier of Grande Prairie is due back in court January 5.

The other, Chad Mitchell of Valleyview, has a trial date set for February 14.

Man facing 14 court cases gets six-and-a-half months time served

Alberta Justice says Benjamin Jackson Prince has been given a global sentence of 255 days time served after pleading guilty to some of the charges he was facing.

The 14 cases were before the court from September to December.

Prince pleaded guilty to charges that included mischief causing damage under $5000, operating a vehicle while prohibited, plus three more of failure to comply.

He had been facing over 50 charges, most were failure to comply counts.

RCMP had sent out a news release in February saying they were asking for the public’s help in locating Prince after he had not complied with release conditions related to a previous charge.

Trial date set in Grande Prairie stolen property, firearms arrest

Alberta Justice says a trial date has been set in a Grande Prairie stolen property arrest.

The trial for Dennis Ford is set for September 29, 2022.

He was charged after an incident on July 30, 2021, in Bezanson.

RCMP said at the time that just before 8:30 a.m., they saw a vehicle make a U-turn after seeing police. They believed this was the same vehicle that took off from an attempted traffic stop earlier.

Police tried a second traffic stop, but the vehicle took off again and went onto a nearby rural property.

Mounties set up a containment and a suspect was arrested while trying to get away on foot.

RCMP added the vehicle had been stolen from Fairview in May.

Police seized six firearms, one of which was also stolen, along with three BB guns, a compound bow, and more than 1000 rounds of ammunition.

Trial dates set in Saddle Hills County property crime arrest

Alberta Justice says a trial date has been set for two people charged after a September property crime arrest in Saddle Hills County.

The trial for Darcy Beckman and Serena Locke is scheduled for October 31, 2022, in Grande Prairie court.

RCMP said an investigation by Mounties in Spirit River started in August of this year

On September 8, two suspects were located in a stolen pickup and also had a firearm and ammunition.

A property search turned up another stolen pickup with a firearm inside, a stolen flat deck trailer, a stolen generator, ammunition, and cocaine.

RCMP added that Beckman was wanted on nine other warrants at the time of his arrest.

New preliminary hearing date set in Grande Prairie drug arrest

Alberta Justice says a new preliminary hearing date has been set for three people charged in a June 2020 drug arrest in Grande Prairie.

The hearing for Arbaaz Zafar Karachiwalla, Bryan Randal Krupka, and Amir Jaber is now set for October 18, 2022, after first being set for December 1 this year.

Grande Prairie RCMP said at the time that on June 12, 2020, searches were done at homes in Grande Prairie and Wembley after what they described as “a lengthy investigation.”

Police seized $14,000 in cash, cocaine, and mushrooms.

Charges against the three include drug possession, possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of property obtained by crime, and failure to comply.