Ammonite theft case may be headed to trial
By Shurtz, Delon on August 22, 2020.
Delon Shurtz
lethbridge herald
Efforts to avoid a trial and resolve the case of a stolen ammonite fossil have stalled, and the matter may be heading for trial, after all.
The Crown and defence had hoped to resolve charges against Logan Heavy Shield without a trial, but Friday during a brief hearing in provincial court Lethbridge lawyer Vincent Guinan said that may no longer be an option.
Guinan told court he decided to have his client stand trial after receiving a resolution offer from the Crown, and elected trial by a provincial court judge.
Crown prosecutor Darwyn Ross said the trial will likely take one day, and the matter was adjourned until next month to allow time for a pre-trial conference. A trial date may be set when the matter returns to court Sept. 18.
Heavy Shield is charged with theft over $5,000 and entering land without permission. The charges stem from an incident on July 16 of last year when a man was seen stealing an ammonite fossil from a mine south of Lethbridge. Mine employees saw the man put the $7,000 fossil in a bag and then run to a waiting vehicle. The suspects got away, but were eventually captured, despite the driver’s attempt to disguise his truck by painting it.
The driver pleaded guilty in February to several charges, including one count of theft over $5,000. He was handed a one-year conditional sentence and placed on house arrest for six months, followed by six months of curfew.
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