No bail for man charged in relation to discovery of woman’s body

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on December 24, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A 20-year-old man charged in relation to the discovery of a woman’s body in October and who hoped to be released on bail before Christmas, will remain in custody at least until the new year.

Hunter Alexander Frank was scheduled for a bail hearing Friday in Lethbridge provincial court, but his lawyer said they may instead resolve the charges when the matter returns to court Jan. 12.

Defence was planning to present the court with a surety, who had agreed to supervise the accused should he be released into the community on bail while he waits for his criminal matters to be resolved in court.

“After speaking with Mr. Frank and his grandmother who is the surety, we’re going to abandon the bail application,” Lethbridge lawyer Darcy Shurtz said.

Frank, who appeared in court by CCTV from the Lethbridge Correctional Centre, is charged with offering an indignity to human remains, and two counts of theft under $5,000 relating to the discovery of Tia Blood’s body, which was found Oct. 24 in the County of Lethbridge.

Blood, 34, went missing Oct. 19, and her body was found five days later southwest of Coalhurst. Police said the cause of death was undetermined.

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