A Drumheller senior charged with uttering threats against a Town of Drumheller employee has had the charges withdrawn following an appearance in provincial court in Drumheller on Friday, February 25.
The court heard how John Carls, 83, was charged with uttering death threats at a town hall meeting on Friday, January 7; the meeting was to inform residents of Lehigh they would need to sell their residences due to the ongoing flood mitigation project.
Mr. Carls was ordered by the Honourable Judge Keelaghan to enter into a peace bond for a period of nine months. He was further directed to have no contact with the town employee.
Judge Keelaghan noted Mr. Carls will not have a criminal record, and the criminal charges were withdrawn.

The United Conservative Party nomination contest for the Drumheller-Stettler Riding opened on February, 17, 2022.
This allows members to apply to contest the nomination by submitting their application.
Drumheller-Stettler Constituency Association president David Mohl explains the Conservative parties hold a nomination contest between every election, rather than assigning a candidate.
“We do it every election cycle, so a year prior to an election. So we have an election coming up in 2023, you use 2022 to get your contestants nominated to become candidates,” explains Mohl.
He adds, typically the nomination isn’t contested when there is an incumbent.
MLA for Drumheller-Stettler Nate Horner was elected in April 2019, beating out Rick Strankman for the nomination from the UCP.
Strankman was the incumbent, serving as MLA as member of the Wildrose Party and UCP, and then ran as an independent. Horner was appointed Associate Minister of Rural Economic Development, under the Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Innovation last summer and in November was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Forestry.
The nominations are open until March 3, application must be accompanied by the signatures of 50 party members who reside in the Drumheller-Stettler constituency.
Applicants must also provide $1,000 payable to the United Conservative Party, of which $500 will be remitted to the constituency in which the nomination is being contested, that is non-refundable and is not a donation, and $1,000 payable to the United Conservative Party as a refundable good conduct bond returned at the discretion of the PCSC at the end of the election to which it applies.
For more information, or to request a nominations application package, please contact nominations@unitedconservative.ca.