Court update: Trail dates set in murder, drug cases; guilty plea after church arson; jail time after fuel, trailers stolen

RCMP said at the time that they had received a report of a dead person inside a home.

Second man charged after church arson pleads guilty

Alberta Justice says a second man charged after a historic church in Grouard was set on fire has pleaded guilty.

Gerald Capot pleaded guilty to a charge of arson in Peace River Court of King’s Bench. Sentencing has been set for February 25, 2025, also in Peace River

He was also facing a charge of break and enter to commit theft, but Alberta Justice says Capot has not entered a plea on that charge.

He and Kenneth Ferguson were arrested after a fire in St. Bernard Catholic Church on May 22, 2023.

Ferguson pleaded guilty to a charge of break and enter to commit theft in May of this year and was given a sentence of 90 days time served.

Jail time for man charged after fuel, trailers stolen

Alberta Justice says a man charged in connection with the theft of property and fuel in the Fairview, Peace River, and Grimshaw areas has been given jail time.

Gessi Tywon James Larose of Grimshaw was given a 345-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to charges of theft over $5,000, use/possession of a stolen credit card, possession of stolen property, and failure to comply with a release order. He was sentenced September 9 in Peace River court.

Larose had originally faced a dozen criminal charges plus had been given five violation tickets.

Credit for time already spent in custody means he has 117 days left to serve.

RCMP said at the time in March 2024, they got reports of suspicious transactions involving fuel cards.

Mounties said these happened over several months and involved fuel worth more than $20,000.

Police say surveillance of a property near Grimshaw turned up the fuel and two stolen trailers.

Trial dates set after MD of Smoky River drug arrest

Alberta Justice says trial dates have been set for two men charged after a drug arrest in the MD of Smoky River.

The trial for Muktar Ali of Nampa and Hayes Fuller-Garand of Warburg, Alberta will be held April 9 and 10, 2025, in Peace River Court of King’s Bench.

They were charged after McLennan RCMP got a report of a suspicious vehicle on June 18, 2024

Mounties found the vehicle stuck in a farm field. It turned out to be stolen.

A search of the truck turned up more than a kilogram of methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, weapons, ammunition, and other stolen property.

by EverythingGP Staff