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still faces 8 counts

Cattle fraud charges against Drayton Valley man withdrawn, trial set for alleged animal cruelty

Sep 8, 2021 | 4:11 PM

A Drayton Valley man will go to trial this December on multiple fraud and animal cruelty charges.

Alton Edward Wood, 45, was charged this May in connection to $1 million in alleged cattle fraud.

Those charges were laid following an investigation by RCMP which began in March 2021. However, the five counts Wood faced in that case were withdrawn at a July court appearance.

The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service tells rdnewsNOW that charges were done away with due to “no reasonable likelihood of conviction.”

Now, Wood is scheduled for trial from Dec. 1-2, 2021 for incidents that pre-date the previously alleged cattle fraud.

The charges include:

– 2 counts – fraud over $5,000 – CC 380(1)(A)

– 2 counts – wilfully causes or, being the owner, wilfully permits to be caused unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to an animal or a bird – CC 445.1(1)(A)

– 4 counts – being the owner or the person having the custody or control of a domestic animal or a bird or an animal or a bird wild by nature that is in captivity, abandons it in distress or wilfully neglects or fails to provide suitable and adequate food, water, shelter and care for it CC 446(1)(B)

According to a summary, the remaining charges against Wood stem from incidents that took place between Dec. 2017 and May 2019, at or near Drayton Valley.

The first fraud count alleges Wood charged for feed and care that he didn’t actually provide to another man’s cattle. The second fraud charge alleges he defrauded a client by giving the man’s feed to his own and other cattle.

The animal cruelty charges note multiple victims, and that both regular cattle and longhorn cattle – Wood’s own and belonging to clients — were involved.