Bail denied man facing weapons charges

By Lethbridge Herald on October 20, 2023.

Delon Shurtz
Lethbridge Herald

A 32-year-old Lethbridge man facing numerous weapons-related charges stemming from a traffic stop late last month has been denied bail.

Jamey Kenneth Jensen had hoped to be released from remand custody Thursday following his bail hearing in Lethbridge court of justice. However, Justice Gregory Maxwell refused to release him after hearing evidence from the Crown and defence during the 40-minute hearing.

Details and evidence presented during the bail hearing are subject to a publication ban.

The case has been adjourned to Oct. 30, but in the meantime Calgary lawyer John Oman said he will continue discussing the matter with the Crown to resolve the charges without the need for a trial.

Jensen was arrested just before midnight on Sept. 23 after Alberta sheriffs saw a vehicle speeding along Metis Trail near Jerry Potts Boulevard and conducted a traffic stop. The driver appeared intoxicated and refused to get out of  his vehicle.

Police officers responded and confirmed the driver was subject to a lifetime firearms and weapons prohibition. Officers saw a rifle case in plain view inside the vehicle, and during a  search police seized a loaded rifle with an overcapacity magazine, a second magazine, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a ballistic vest, balaclava, baton and handcuffs. The driver was arrested without incident.

Jensen was charged with four counts of possession of a prohibited firearm, two counts unauthorized possession of a prohibited/restricted weapon, and single counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm/weapon obtained by an offence, and possession of body armour without a valid permit.

On Thursday, however, the charges of unauthorized possession of a prohibited/restricted weapon and unauthorized possession of a firearm were upgraded to charges of possession of an unauthorized firearm. A charge of unauthorized possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle was added to the list of charges.