By Troy Gillard

BURNT LAKE TRAIL

Trial ordered for men accused of assaulting Blackfalds RCMP officer

Oct 31, 2020 | 10:00 AM

Three men charged for a series of events west of Red Deer in which a Blackfalds RCMP officer was assaulted before firing a shot have been ordered to stand trial.

A preliminary hearing took place Thursday in Red Deer provincial court for Chasetin Morin, 25, Johnathan Andrews, 28, and Levi Bennick, 28.

Morin and Andrews 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. Bennick is charged with robbery and assaulting a police officer.

Each was ordered to stand trial following Thursday’s hearing and is due back in court on Dec. 7.

RCMP say it was at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 13, 2019 when a lone member 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.

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After stopping to see if they needed assistance, RCMP say the officer encountered three men trying to get the vehicle back onto the road. During the encounter, 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.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), the province’s police watchdog, continues to investigate the incident. ASIRT’s mandate is to effectively, independently and objectively investigate incidents involving Alberta’s police that have resulted in serious injury or death to any person, as well as serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct.

Preliminary hearings are held to determine whether enough evidence is present for a case to go to trial. Publication bans prevent evidence and testimony from preliminary hearings from being shared.