By Sheldon Spackman

9.5 years

Man sentenced in central Alberta police chases, shots fired incidents

Mar 3, 2022 | 12:25 PM

One of two men charged following a series of police pursuits throughout central Alberta in 2020 where shots were fired at police, has been sentenced to 9.5 years in jail, less two years of pre-trial custody.

Kenton Charles Butters, 33, was previously scheduled for trial on Feb. 28, 2022, but sentenced on Dec. 15, 2021 where he was also given a lifetime firearms prohibition, and two-year license suspension.

He was convicted on counts of possession of stolen property over $5000, theft of a motor vehicle(x2), flight from peace officer, operation while prohibited, intent to wound/maim/disfigure, and possession of a prohibited firearm. Seven other counts were withdrawn.

It was just after 11 p.m. on Aug. 12, 2020 when Sylvan Lake RCMP were advised by Calgary police that a stolen vehicle was in their area after speeding through the Lacombe area.

The vehicle was later located by Blackfalds RCMP and a pursuit was briefly started, then ended after it failed to stop for police.

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RCMP said the vehicle was again located and a spike belt was used. The vehicle entered a rural property east of Lacombe where the occupants abandoned the vehicle, stole another truck and fled.

Another pursuit began where a Police Dog Services (PDS) truck was struck by bullets believed to be fired from the suspects in the stolen truck. No one was hit or injured by the shots.

The RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT) was deployed and the fleeing vehicle was tracked to an area near Erskine where containment was set up. Police then received information that two other vehicles had just been stolen from a nearby property. Spike belts were used again and both stolen vehicles were stopped near Highway 12 and Range Road 202.

The suspects were arrested a little before 4 a.m. on Aug. 13.

One firearm was recovered from the vehicles that police say was stolen during a previous home invasion.

Alexander Michael Talbot, now 30, was also sentenced in relation to this matter in Red Deer provincial court on May 6, 2021 for operating a vehicle while prohibited, flight from police and theft of a motor vehicle. Talbot was sentenced to 22 months in prison, less six months’ credit for time already in custody, and handed a three-year driving ban.

Talbot was previously charged with manslaughter in the March 16, 2016 death of Dawson James (DJ) Wegner-Cramer, who was run over and killed while trying to prevent his work truck from being stolen from his home in north Red Deer. Talbot later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison, minus time spent in pre-trial custody. Talbot was granted parole in August 2018.