City man gets three years in penitentiary

Eldon Jon Myers pleads guilty to various charges

ALethbridge man who has a criminal record spanning 30 years has been sent to a federal penitentiary for drug and weapon offences stemming from a police raid last year.

Eldon Jon Myers was sentenced to three years in prison Thursday after he pleaded guilty in Lethbridge court to four weapon offences, four charges of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking and a single charge of possession of stolen property.

Police raided a southside home May 26, 2015 and seized numerous weapons, including rifles, crossbows, a sawed-off shotgun and .357 revolver. They also found ammunition, loaded ammo magazines, knives, machetes, a collapsible baton, electronics, jewelry, tools, and various drugs, including crack cocaine, methamphetamines, morphine, magic mushrooms, heroin, psilocybin and LSD. In all, police seized 750 items.

Crown prosecutor Erin Olsen told court that while several people exited the house when police arrived, others refused to come out and after a lengthy standoff police were forced to toss in tear gas. Other suspects finally left the house and one woman was found hiding under a bed.

Although Olsen said Myers’ sentence might appear to be on the low end of the range, she noted Myers saved considerable court time and expense by pleading guilty, for which he deserves credit. However, she noted the serious nature of the offences and Myers’ criminal record.

“Mr. Myers’ record is horrendous,” Olsen said.

Judge Sylvia Oishi acknowledged the extensive police and court resources involved in the case, and noted there was considerable risk to the public posed by the number of weapons and drugs seized in the police raid. And aside from the guilty plea, which saved court resources and the need for a trial, Oishi said she couldn’t find any mitigating factors that might benefit Myers.

In addition to his sentence, for which he was given credit for the equivalent of 10 months already spent in custody, Myers must also submit a sample of his DNA for the National DNA Databank. He is also prohibited from possessing firearms and other weapons for life.

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