Bail denied for man accused in Coutts conspiracy

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on July 19, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

Bail for the remaining individual accused of conspiring to kill RCMP officers during the protest at the Coutts border in January and February, has been denied.

Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Johnna Kubik ruled in Lethbridge court Monday that Jerry Morin must remain in custody until his trial.

The trial is set to last three weeks starting June 12 to June 30, 2023.

All four men are, by direct indictment, to stand trial in Court of Queen’s Bench. Direct indictment, which was previously filed by the Crown, bypasses the defence option for a preliminary hearing.

The accused were charged in February with conspiracy to commit murder, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and mischief by impeding the lawful use of property. A person found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder is liable to imprisonment for life.

The charges stem from alleged offences in the Village of Coutts during the border protest, when police seized numerous long guns, handguns, a machete, ammunition, high capacity ammo magazines and body armour.

Nine other individuals were also arrested in relation to the protest and charged with mischief by impeding the lawful use of property and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Ursula Allred, Johnson Chichow Law, Evan Colenutt, Justin Martin, Eastin Stewart Oler, Joanne Person, Janx Zaremba, Luke Berk, and Jaclyne Martin, were released shortly after their arrests. Person’s next court hearing is set for July 25, while Zaremba is set to stand trial on Dec. 6.

-with files from Delon Shurtz and The Canadian Press

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