Man facing property charges sentenced on unrelated offences

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on August 13, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A 54-year-old man waiting to stand trial on two-year-old charges, has been sentenced for several other criminal offences.

Gerald David Thurber was sentenced Friday in Lethbridge provincial court to four months in jail after he pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching release conditions, two counts of drug possession, and one count of trafficking stolen property.

Court was told that on several occasions earlier this year and in 2021, Thurber breached release conditions after he was granted bail on the two-year-old charges. He was also caught trafficking stolen property (vehicles and transmissions) in Coaldale on Feb. 22 of this year, and on April 26 he was caught with small amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Lethbridge lawyer Justin Dean said Thurber, who was born and raised in Peace River but has lived in Medicine Hat the past 20 years, suffers from depression and physical ailments, struggles with substance abuse and has been addicted to opioids for the past 18 years. And although he was sober for one year, he relapsed, resulting in offences and the charges he faced in court Friday.

Thurber still faces charges of uttering a forged document, fraud under $5,000 and false pretences under $5,000, to which he pleaded not guilty Friday and adjourned to set a trial date. He is also expected to schedule a trial date on Sept. 8 on four counts of possession of stolen property over $5,000, and one count each of possession of stolen property under $5,000, making or possessing identity documents, and drug possession. Those charges relate to offences in 2020.

Thurber was charged after police recovered stolen property they found in a Coaldale storage unit. Coaldale RCMP, following up on information they received from a local business, searched the storage unit in June 2020 and discovered more than $100,000 worth of stolen property. Police said the property was stolen from area break-ins or obtained by identity theft through fraudulent use of a credit card.

The stolen property included two cargo trailers,15 welders, a $9,000 wicker patio set, various power tools, air compressors, a snow blower, ladders, new light fixtures, generators and RV accessories. Most of the stolen property was returned to the owners.

Police said the offences were committed in several areas, including Bassano, Coaldale, Lethbridge County, Lethbridge and Taber.

The accused was expected to resolve those charges in March, but with a different lawyer, and a trial was cancelled in anticipation the matters would be resolved. But during a hearing March 11 the Lethbridge lawyer was allowed to withdraw after court was told a conflict had developed and the lawyer could no longer represent the accused.

A Calgary lawyer was retained shortly afterward, but he withdrew in April after the accused failed to attend court, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. The following month the lawyer was back in court representing Thurber again, and said at that time he still hoped to resolve all of his client’s charges. However, during a brief hearing on June 28, he said Thurber no longer wanted his help and he withdrew again.

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