Crown says officer saved life during arrest of women guilty of drug possession

By Lethbridge Herald on November 6, 2021.

Delon Shurtz – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – dshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

On April 4, 2019, a Lethbridge police officer was patrolling Galt Gardens and saw several people sitting on the grass. He noticed one woman became particularly nervous and appeared to hide something under her leg or coat, and in the process dropped a small tinfoil packet.

The officer advised the woman, Sharise Smith, of his suspicion that she was using drugs, and she immediately attempted to swallow several packages. The officer struggled with Smith and prevented her from swallowing fentanyl, as well as suboxone pills, a prescription medication used in treating opioid addictions.

Smith, 30, was arrested and found in possession of nine suboxone pills and 10 packets containing a total of 2.3 grams of fentanyl.

Smith, who pleaded guilty Thursday in Lethbridge provincial court to two charges of drug possession, was sentenced to five days in custody on each of the charges, which will run concurrently to each other and to a jail sentence she is already serving.

Federal Crown Prosecutor Mark Klassen noted even though the fentanyl was packaged in a manner consistent with trafficking, there was insufficient evidence to prove it.

“And at the end of the day really, the police officer saved her life from probably what would have been a very serious overdose based on that amount of fentanyl,” Klassen said.

Lethbridge lawyer Scott Hadford said Smith has a “serious addiction to serious substances,” and her addiction to carfentanil has “really leveled her life in a bad way.”

Hadford said Smith is remorseful and acknowledges her dangerous lifestyle. She’s also scared, Hadford added, and hopes she can receive counseling and treatment after she is released from custody.

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