Trial cancelled for men accused of pub smash

By Delon Shurtz on May 19, 2021.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A three-day trial that was to begin Tuesday in Lethbridge provincial court for two men accused of driving a vehicle through the front door of a city pub has been cancelled.
One of the men, Travis Robert Taylor, had pleaded not guilty to shopbreaking to commit theft, mischief causing damage and failure to comply with an undertaking, but changed his mind and pleaded guilty Monday to one count of shopbreaking to commit theft.
During Taylor’s sentencing hearing Monday, court was told Taylor drove a truck through the front door of Honker’s Pub and eatery at about 6 a.m. Nov. 29 of last year.
He and another suspect then loaded an ATM into the truck and fled.
Taylor was sentenced to one year in jail, minus credit for time he spent in cusvtody since his arrest. He was also ordered to make restitution to the pub’s owner of nearly $10,000.
The second accused, Travis Roy Priest, is considering a resolution proposal from the Crown, as well, and returns to court May 28 to speak to the matter. He is charged with shopbreaking to commit theft, mischief causing damage and drug possession.
Priest is also charged with shopbreaking to commit theft, shopbreaking to commit mischief, possession of stolen property under $5,000 and possession of ID documents relating to offences more than a year ago.
On April 28, 2019, two men broke into an electrical substation in the 3500 block of 25 Street West by cutting the lock on a gate. The suspects also damaged the lock on the door, and once inside damaged a significant amount of equipment to get at the copper wire.
Spools of copper wire and various pieces of equipment, including a laser level, network connector and battery charge pack, were stolen, and a transformer worth $250,000 and a grounding cart unit worth $25,000 were damaged. Damages totalled $300,000, while the stolen copper and equipment are reportedly worth $6,500.
During a court hearing earlier this month Priest’s lawyer said he was in resolution discussions with the Crown prosecutor, who confirmed “there is a plan in place,” to deal with the charges.
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