Man to seek bail in higher court
By Shurtz, Delon on July 31, 2020.
Delon Shurtz
lethbridge herald
A 25-year-old man who was denied bail in May in relation to several criminal charges, hopes he’ll have better luck in front of another judge.
Anthony Douglas Johnston was denied bail by a provincial court judge on May 7, and has been sitting in remand at the Lethbridge Correctional Centre ever since he was arrested in March. The matter was back in provincial court Wednesday, but his lawyer, Robin McIntyre of Calgary, requested an adjournment until after her client has a bail review in Lethbridge Court of Queen’s Bench on Aug. 24.
Johnston faces charges of possession of stolen property over $5,000, possession of stolen property under $5,000, driving while uninsured, operating a motor vehicle while prohibited, flight from police, dangerous driving and possession of a prohibited weapon.
Police reported they were looking for a stolen Ford Explorer when they noticed it March 20 in the Dairy Queen drive-thru on Mayor Magrath Drive South. As officers tried to trap the vehicle, it drove into a police vehicle then into the side of a motel office building.
The driver tried again to evade police but failed and was arrested. Two passengers in the vehicle were also taken into custody.
Police searched the vehicle and seized a can of bear spray, which is a prohibited weapon under the Criminal Code, and found a key to a vehicle previously stolen and recovered the day before.
Damage to the motel and Explorer was estimated at $75,000 to $100,000.
During a court hearing in June, McIntyre said she received an offer from the Crown to resolve the case without a trial, and the case was adjourned to give her time to discuss the offer with her client. In May she told court if resolution discussions with the Crown failed, she would consider going to trial.
The matter returns to court Aug. 25, the day after the bail review.
The accused also faces an unrelated shoplifting charge, to which McIntyre pleaded not guilty on behalf of her client during Wednesday’s hearing. A trial date for that charge is expected to be scheduled Aug. 5.
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