A man, charged with weapons offences and breaching a court order for an incident in the Village of Carbon in December 2021, entered a guilty plea in relation to the weapons charge in provincial court in Drumheller on Friday, September 23.
The court heard how on the evening of December 1, 2021, an intoxicated female attempted to enter a private residence in Carbon. After talking with the woman, the homeowners learned she was staying at the Carbon Valley Motel and helped her get back safely.
Upon arriving back at the hotel, a man, later identified as 37-year-old Brad Nanninga, stepped out of a room holding what was believed to be an axe.
Drumheller RCMP were called and observed Nanninga in an apparent state of intoxication.
A knife was located in Mr. Nanninga’s pocket and this, along with the weapon originally identified as an axe, were seized; the second weapon was later identified as a knife with a three-foot handle attached to the blade.
It was determined Mr. Nanninga was in breach of a release order with conditions to not possess any weapons, or to have any contact with the woman the homeowners had walked back to the hotel.
The pair were arrested and Mr. Nanninga was charged with breaching a court order, and for weapons offences.
Crown prosecution asked for a 30-day global sentence, less any pre-trial custody, and ordered the knives seized be forfeited.
It was noted Mr. Nanninga’s entering guilty pleas and accepting responsibility were mitigating factors.
Remaining charges against Nanninga were withdrawn.

Drumheller may be well known for some of its tourist attractions such as Tyra the World’s Largest Dinosaur, but the popular attractions were not the only places in the Drumheller Valley which saw an increase in visitors over the summer months.
Between June and August 2022, a total of 19,099 visitors took time to visit the Drumheller Aquaplex, with over half of these being drop-in admissions.
“We are up significantly over the last couple of years through COVID,” aquatic supervisor Andrea Leavitt tells the Mail.
Ms. Leavitt adds the Aquaplex welcomed some 18,000 visitors during the same three-month period in 2018, the next comparative year.
Single, drop-in admissions made up 52 per cent of total admissions during this time, while membership use was 21 per cent; the remainder of admissions are a mix of swimming lessons and group reservations.
As the only other municipality in the immediate area with a pool, the Mail also reached out to the Village of Carbon. However, the Village declined to provide comment “due to other pressing tasks that require our immediate attention.”