By Curtis Galbraith

Court update: guilty plea after hatchet attack, stay against one man charged after Cadotte Lake death

Feb 22, 2019 | 4:30 AM

Alberta Justice says a Leduc County man has pleaded guilty to one of the charges he was facing after a hatchet attack in Grande Prairie.
 
Ronald Ernest Gauthier admitted to a reduced charge of assault with a weapon February 12. That was to be the first day of a trial on aggravated assault and possession of a weapon dangerous to the public counts.
 
Alberta Justice adds Gauthier has not entered a plea on the second charge.
 
He was arrested after an attack at a residence on the east side of Grande Prairie April 2, 2017.
 
RCMP said at the time that the man attacked had suffered what they described as “serious trauma.” He was treated in hospital and later released.
 
Gauthier is due back in court August 12 for sentencing.
 
  
Stay in Cadotte Lake death
 
Alberta Justice says a stay of proceedings is now in place in a manslaughter case in Peace River court.
 
Ramsey Carifelle is one of two people that were due to stand trial this week on manslaughter and break and enter to commit robbery charges after the May 9, 2017 death of 31-year-old Marvin Nahachick Jr. in a Cadotte Lake house fire.
 
The Crown now has one year to come up with more evidence.
 
The other man facing similar charges, Dylan Moberley-Horseman, is due back in Peace River court February 25.
 
He is already serving a seven-year jail sentence in connection with the beating of Dylan Gogan in the Peace River Correctional Centre that left Gogan in a coma.
 
 
 Two jailed in Fairview drug arrest
 
Two people are serving jail time for a 2017 drug bust in Fairview.
 
Riley Salmond was given a 32-month sentence January 30 in a Grande Prairie court after pleading guilty to seven of the 15 counts he was facing.
 
That included trafficking a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, unauthorized possession of a firearm, and possession of stolen property. The other charges were withdrawn.
 
Salmond was given eight months credit for time already served.
 
All charges were withdrawn against co-accused Rebecca Zwick.
 
They were among three people arrested after an ALERT search of a vehicle and home in Fairview in January of last year. Cocaine, pills, methamphetamine, firearms, and cash were all seized.
 
A third man charged in the case, Khristopher Ali, is serving an eight-year jail term in connection with this case and another drug case in Grande Prairie.
 
  
One person charged in Grande Prairie drug bust pleads guilty
 
Alberta Justice says one of four people charged in a Grande Prairie drug bust will be sentenced August 12.
 
Youssef Hassan pleaded guilty to a single charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking February 12 in Grande Prairie. Four other counts were withdrawn. He was one of four people arrested in May of 2017 after ALERT seized more than 300 fentanyl pills, along with crystal meth, crack cocaine, and over $4400 cash after searches of apartments in the Smith and Southview areas of Grande Prairie.
 
Alberta Justice also says charges against co-accused Sara Desjarlais were withdrawn in May of last year. Charges against the other two, Lemesa Garoma Rare and Mulugata K. Mekonen, were dropped in March of last year. The three had been facing a dozen charges altogether.