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By Ashley Lavallee-Koenig

January 2024 Incident

Sylvan Lake man pleads guilty to attempted theft of vehicle that had child inside

Dec 23, 2024 | 1:21 PM

A Sylvan Lake resident has plead guilty to three charges related to an attempted vehicle theft that occurred near a local restaurant in January this year.

On Dec. 20, 2024, in the Red Deer Court of Justice, Rustin Goettsch, 38, plead guilty to:

• Failure or refusal to comply with demand
• Taking a motor vehicle without consent
• Possession of property over $5,000

As a result, Goettsch was sentenced to 106 days of prison, less 105 days he served in pre-trial custody. This brought his total time left to serve to one day, which began on Dec. 20 following sentencing. He was also issued a fine of $2,000, to be paid by April 30, 2025.

It was Jan. 26, 2024, at 12:38 p.m. when Sylvan Lake RCMP responded to an attempted vehicle theft at the McDonald’s parking lot in Sylvan Lake.

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The victim had parked and entered the facility to pick up food, leaving their 12-year-old child in the vehicle. Police reported that the suspect entered the vehicle and began to pull out of the parking spot when he was confronted by the child. The suspect parked the vehicle and left.

RCMP said when they arrived at the scene, the suspect exited and approached officers from another vehicle, which he said ran out of gas. That vehicle was determined to be one that had been reported stolen from Sylvan Lake on Jan. 26, 2023.

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Related

• Trial date set for Sylvan Lake man accused of attempted vehicle theft with child inside
• Sylvan Lake RCMP respond to attempted theft of vehicle with child inside

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