(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Troy Gillard

several updates

Court Briefs: March 3, 2021

Mar 3, 2021 | 9:40 AM

Trial has now been scheduled for a man charged in an extreme case of road rage in Red Deer last year has been ordered to stand trial.

Andrew Charles Hunter, 33, faces counts of dangerous operation of a conveyance causing bodily harm, failure to stop after an accident resulting in bodily harm, and assault with a weapon in the Jan. 26, 2020 incident.

It’s alleged the suspect drove over the leg of another male driver after ramming him with his vehicle in a parking lot off 67 Street near Golden West Avenue.

The victim, who was 26 at the time, later had a portion of his right leg amputated due to his injuries.

A pretrial conference will take place next month before Hunter faces a jury trial in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench from February 22 to March 4, 2022.

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Trial have been scheduled for three men charged for a series of events west of Red Deer in which a Blackfalds RCMP officer was assaulted.

Chasetin Morin, 25, and Jonathan Andrews, 28, face charges including robbery, assaulting a police officer, attempting to disarm a police officer and possession of stolen property over $5,000. They also face charges relating to breaching court orders.

Levi Bennick, 28, is charged with robbery and assaulting a police officer. A pretrial conference is happening in May.

A trial for all three is slated for Dec. 6 to 10 of this year.

RCMP say it was at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 13, 2019 when a lone Mountie driving a marked police vehicle came across a vehicle that appeared to be stuck on the side of the road in the area of Range Road 10 and Burnt Lake Trail.

After stopping to see if they needed assistance, the officer encountered three men trying to get the vehicle back onto the road. Police say the men attacked the officer and took them to the ground before trying to remove the officer’s equipment.

The officer fired their service pistol during the altercation, striking one of the men in the leg.

The three men then got into the police vehicle and drove away before Mounties later found it abandoned in a field near Highway 11, between Red Deer and Sylvan Lake.

Shortly thereafter, officers apprehended and arrested all three men. Bennick was taken to hospital where he was treated for a gunshot wound to his right calf before being turned over to police.

The officer involved in the altercation sustained minor injuries.

Police later determined that the vehicle stopped along Burnt Lake Trail was stolen. Investigators found a loaded firearm in the glove compartment during a subsequent search.

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Trial will take place later this year for an Edmonton man charged after a bicyclist was hit and killed on the QEII Highway near Red Deer.

At about 12:45 a.m. on Sept. 14, 2019, Blackfalds RCMP responded to a collision involving a cyclist on the highway between Highway 11 and 32 Street. Police say an SUV was travelling southbound when it collided with the cyclist.

The 32-year-old male cyclist from Red Deer, later identified by friends as Ryan Litwin (Taylor), was pronounced dead at the scene.

Edwin Aklamanu, 38, of Edmonton is charged with failure to provide a breath sample causing death and operating a motor vehicle while impaired causing death.

His trial in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench has been scheduled for Dec. 6-10, 2021. A pretrial conference will take place in April.

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All charges against a Red Deer man in connection to an alleged assault on March 29, 2020 in Riverside Meadows have been withdrawn.

Brian Stephens, 41, was arrested by Mounties on April 16, 2020 and charged with aggravated assault, robbery with a firearm, and six other firearms-related charges, as well as two counts of failure to comply.

Mounties previously stated that at approximately 5 p.m. on Mar. 29, police responded to a 9-1-1 call of a gunshot in the area of 54 Avenue and 59 Street.

A 47-year-old male from Red Deer was the victim of a targeted shooting and was transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The suspect and the victim are believed to know each other, they initially said.

Alberta Justice confirms that all charges against Stephens were withdrawn on Jan. 15, 2021.

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A child luring charge against a Sylvan Lake man accused of sending inappropriate text messages to a teenage girl has been withdrawn.

Sylvan Lake RCMP charged the 38-year-old man with luring a child following a complaint received last May.

RCMP said they’d launched an investigation and determined other citizens also had a concern about inappropriate contact from the suspect male.

“While the male did not physically meet with the teenage female, investigation indicates he was making efforts to meet with her,” Sylvan Lake RCMP said in a statement at the time.

Alberta Justice confirms the charge against David Brown was withdrawn on Dec. 18, 2020. No further details were given.