A Drumheller man who briefly fled from police in 2021 was handed a conditional sentence with probation at provincial court in Drumheller on Friday, March 11.
The court heard how at approximately 5:10 p.m. on June 20, 2021, Drumheller RCMP Constable Selby attempted a traffic stop in a grocery store parking lot for a Ford F250 pickup truck with a loose jerry can in the bed and no tailgate; the driver, 31-year-old Justin Lenfesty of Drumheller, refused to stop and left the parking lot at a high rate of speed.
Due to the potential risk to the public, Cst. Selby did not pursue.
Shortly afterwards, the vehicle was located in a ditch off Highway 9 by another on-duty officer. Cst. O’Hara observed the accused attempting to unsuccessfully reverse out of the ditch before leaving the vehicle and running through a farmer’s field.
A police dog unit was dispatched and Mr. Lenfesty was arrested at approximately 6:10 p.m.
Mr. Lenfesty also faced charges from an August 2020 incident where he was pulled over for an unsecured load and found to have keys belonging to a stolen quad in his possession.
The keys were from a break-in on a rural property the night prior where the quad, along with weapons and tools, were stolen. While Mr. Lenfesty was unable to be tied to the rural break and enter, he was arrested without incident on possession of stolen property charges.
The Honourable Judge B.R. Fraser accepted guilty pleas for possession of the stolen property and breaching release conditions to not be behind the wheel of a motor vehicle without valid registration, license, or insurance, which Mr. Lenfesty failed to produce in the June 2021 incident.
Judge Fraser noted, based on the charges, a jail sentence was the normal appropriate course of action. As Mr. Lenfesty had no prior criminal record, has shown remorse, and is undertaking schooling to obtain his Grade 12 education and further training to turn his life around, Judge Fraser instead handed down a four-month conditional sentence order with a one-year probation. All other charges were withdrawn.
