Indecent act caught on video nets man jail and probation

A man who put on an adult-rated show for a home security camera has been put on probation for a year.

Mark Brandon Vielle Spear Chief was also sentenced Wednesday in Lethbridge court of justice to 45 days in custody for committing an indecent act, but his sentence was deemed served after he was given credit for the equivalent amount of time he had already spent in pre-trial custody following his arrest.

Last summer a Lethbridge woman called police to report someone had performed an indecent act on her property, and she had caught the perpetrator on her surveillance cameras set up in the back alley near her garage.

After the woman realized on July 7 that something had occurred on her property the day before, she checked her video footage and saw a man walk onto her concrete pad beside the garage three times during the day.

Crown Prosecutor Bob Morrison said the footage shows the man pulling down his pants or shorts, and exposing himself while performing an indecent act and looking directly at the surveillance camera.

“That security video was turned over to the police, and based on some stills police were able to get off (the video), they believed the individual was Mark Vielle Spear Chief,” Morrison said.

Spear Chief was arrested downtown on July 7 and he was wearing the same clothes he was seen wearing in the video.

Morrison said Vielle Spear Chief was intoxicated when he was arrested and was likely intoxicated during his performance for the surveillance camera.

Morrison pointed out the offender has a long criminal record that includes convictions for similar offences.

Lethbridge lawyer Miranda Hlady told court her client planned to live with his brother upon release from custody, and his goal is to assist people who find themselves in circumstances similar to his own.