Multiple lawyers have been involved in property, weapons case
By Lethbridge Herald on February 25, 2021.
Delon Shurtz
Lethbridge Herald
A Fort Vermillion man who was expected to resolve dozens of criminal charges, but then fired his second lawyer late last year, is still hoping to resolve his matters without having to stand trial.
During a brief hearing Tuesday in Lethbridge provincial court, lawyer number three, Ingrid Hess, said she had received a resolution proposal from the Crown, and suggested the charges may finally be disposed of. However, Hess added she needs more time to discuss the proposal with the Crown and her client, Jessie Hugh Flett, and the matter was adjourned for another week.
Flett, who is currently at the Edmonton Remand Centre, faces more than 40 charges, including possession of stolen property, mischief over $5,000, possession of a weapon obtained by crime, drug possession, alter/destroy/remove a vehicle identification number, careless use of a firearm, and multiple counts of unauthorized possession of a weapon.
RCMP reported Jan. 6 of last year that officers found at a residence near Brocket, bales of hay that had been stolen from Pincher Creek. Police searched a home and arrested one man without incident. During a search of some property, officers seized 14 firearms, a large amount of ammunition and methamphetamine. They also found a truck that was reported stolen out of Pincher Creek earlier that morning.
Flett, 33, fired his first lawyer last May, and told court at the time he didn’t believe his lawyer was helping him. His first lawyer had also expected, before he was fired, to resolve the charges without a trial.
After several more delays, Flett hired a new lawyer from Calgary, who last November told court she expected to set a date early in 2021 for a summary disposition of the charges. Summary disposition typically means charges may be resolved with guilty pleas and without the need for a trial. The Crown and defence generally agree on the facts of the case, but not always on recommendation for a sentence.
Later the same month, Flett fired his second lawyer, who told the judge there had been a breakdown in lawyer-client relations.
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