61-year-old man will go to trial in July on arson charges

The case of a man charged with arson over a grassfire in an open field by the Gas City Campground and Clarion Hotel will be going to trial.

Wesley Vanbocquestal, 61, appeared in court Thursday to set up a trial for July 7 on charges of arson and possessing incendiary material. Vanbocquestal has no defence counsel.

The grassfire occurred on Feb. 18, just after 5 p.m., with emergency crews responding to extinguish the blaze. Police stated that no one was injured in the fire and none of the surrounding buildings were damaged.

Warrant issued

A warrant was issued after a young women who fled from police in August failed to show up for her sentencing.

Hailey Lynn Frechette was arrested following an August incident where she — with a passenger in her vehicle — led RCMP on a chase along the Trans-Canada Highway, after also fleeing from Medicine Hat police who had attempted to pull over the vehicle.

Frechette entered guilty pleas in Decemberto four out of the 10 charges laid against her — including two counts of failure to stop the vehicle to evade police, and two counts of drug possession.

A presentencing report was ordered but ultimately not completed, and Frechette’s lawyer withdrew from the record on March 16, as Frechette did not appear in court and the lawyer had not been able to contact her client.

Charges withdrawn

Charges were withdrawn against two people who had been accused of confronting and assaulting a man on May 2.

Due to the Crown being unable to subpoena a witness, the no evidence was called in what was supposed to be a trial Thursday of Michael Orr and Jennifer Cote. Both faced charges of assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm — but these were all withdrawn.

Orr remains in custody, and has a trial set for May 8-11 over allegations of kidnapping, robbery and assault for an incident that took place in May, 2016.

Skipping jail

Intermittent sentences were collapsed Thursday, and more jailtime added after two Medicine Hat men entered guilty pleas to new charges.

Daniel Marvin Fettig appeared by CCTV from the Medicine Hat Remand Centre and was sentenced to 90 more days in jail for twice failing to report to police as required, and failing to show up at the Remand Centre two weekends to serve an earlier sentence he had been granted intermittency. Fettig also pled guilty to shoplifting more than $600 in items from Superstore and Walmart. Fettig will now have to serve the days consecutively to the number of days left in his original 90-day sentence.

Sean Russell Askin also appeared by CCTV from the Medicine Hat Remand Centre, entering guilty pleas to twice not reporting to police as required, and also being unlawfully at large after not turning himself in to the Remand Centre twice to serve weekends as part of an earlier sentence.

Askin originally pled guilty in January to assault, mischief, failure to appear in court and obstructing a police officer — the sentencing judge at the time allowed this sentence to be served intermittently, so Askin could continue to work. He had 52 days left to serve of a 150day jail sentence, and now an additional 54 days have been added to serve.

With 19 and 16 adjournments each, a judge ordered preliminary hearings be set for two separate drug trafficking cases against one southern Alberta man.

A preliminary hearing will now take place on June 26 for Aaron Hotchen, over a Brooksbased case where Hotchen faces one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Another preliminary hearing will take place on Aug. 29. for another set of charges Hotchen faces, including two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, and multiple firearms charges.

While Hotchen originally had legal counsel, his counsel withdrew in mid-January, and he has yet to officially secure an new lawyer.