Woman guilty of drug possession to return to court next month

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on December 11, 2021.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A Lethbridge woman who was released from custody Thursday after being fined for possessing nearly 10 grams of methamphetamine, will return to court in the new year to deal with additional drug-related charges.
Kayla Mae Robertson was fined $650, including a $150 victim fine surcharge, after she pleaded guilty to one count of drug possession. Robertson was initially charged by police with drug possession for the purpose of trafficking, and had previously pleaded not guilty to the charge, but during Thursday’s hearing the Crown reduced it to the less serious charge of simple possession, and noted it may have been difficult to prove the intention to traffick drugs.
During a police investigation June 24 of this year officers were watching a man they suspected of drug trafficking in the downtown area, and saw him get into a vehicle driven by Robertson. Robertson, who at the time was not part of the police investigation, drove to Fort Macleod and stopped at a gas station. The man entered the gas station, and after he returned police arrested him and Robertson. When police searched Robertson, they found 9.2 grams of meth.
Crown Prosecutor Mark Klassen pointed out Robertson has a previous conviction for drug possession in March of this year, for which she was also fined, and she returns to court in January to address additional charges of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking and failing to comply with release conditions.
She was granted bail on those charges Thursday, with a promise to pay $1,000 should she breach release conditions, which include reporting weekly to the Lethbridge Police Service, abstaining from alcohol and drugs, living at a specific address in Coalhurst or other approved residence, and obeying a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. every day.
At the conclusion of Thursday’s sentencing hearing, the Crown was granted forfeiture of items seized by police during the investigation, with the exception of $4,135, which will be returned to Robertson.

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