A man who used Facebook to threaten to kill as many RCMP officers as he could and praised the man behind the Mayerthorpe massacre was sentenced Monday to nine months in jail.
James Houtstra has been in custody for nearly seven and a half months, leaving him 49 days to serve. He was also placed on 18 months of probation that will begin when his jail sentence ends.
Houtstra posted threatening messages on Facebook that seemed to indicate he was planning a massacre of police officers.
"Wow! After 4 years clean I cannot begin to tell you how good that first shot of heroin felt. That and around 50 Xanax. Now it is time to plan the killing spree. I have always thought murder suicide was the way to go," read one of the posts.
The post then went on to mention James Roszko, who killed four Mounties at Mayerthorpe.
"Dug up the old .380 last night and it shoots like I bought it yesterday! I can't wait until this is all f***ing over. I will be joining my hero James Roszko."
In subsequent posts, posted shortly after the first message, Houtstra again references Roszko, discusses using a fertilizer bomb and suggests he wants to kill many more officers than Roszko did.
"I'm going to make 4 look like a f***ing drop in the bucket. I'm shooting for 20+," the post states.
Sentencing
Houtstra originally pleaded guilty in May, but his sentencing was repeatedly pushed back because of delays in getting court-ordered psychiatric reports.
Crown prosecutor Doug Taylor argued for a year in jail, with two years of probation for Houtstra. He said the posts were highly disturbing and raised real concerns.
"This shows a hero worship quality to one of Canada's worst multiple murders," Taylor said.
He also pointed out that the posts weren't made in the heat of an altercation with an officer, but outside of that context with forethought. While Facebook had removed the posts and Houtstra's account, the comments were in some respects permanent, he said.
"These threats are on the Internet forever."
He said the police need respect from the public to be able to maintain order and threats like these encourage a downgrade in the respect of officers.
"Mr. Houtstra is encouraging a form of anarchy by making these comments about law enforcement officers," he said.
Houtstra's lawyer Anita Meyers agreed with Taylor that the statements were horrifying.
"These are threats that would be similar to going to an airport, getting on a plane and telling people there is a bomb," she said.
Despite that, she said her client's intent was an important factor and he had not written the post while coherent. When police raided Houtstra's apartment they found needles and Houtstra admitted to having taken a considerable amount of Xanax.
"If not for the ingestion of these intoxicating substances, he would not be here," argued Myers.
She said he apologized for the posts almost directly after being arrested and he told police officers that he did not remember writing any of them.
Myers pushed for a sentence of the time Houtstra had already served, along with a year of probation.
Houtstra said he wanted to get treatment for his addictions and turn his life around. He said he deeply regretted what he had posted.
"I would like to apologize to the St. Albert RCMP, to the people of St. Albert and to my friends and family," he said.
In landing on the nine-month sentence, Judge Bruce Garriock said he considered Houtstra's remorse and relatively early guilty plea along with his previous lack of criminal record.
Garriock said on other hand the comments were charged and would seem to indicate he had a plan.
"This was not an isolated rant made to a peace officer," said Garriock." Your diatribe appeared calculated."
During his probation period, Houtstra will have to abstain from alcohol and drugs and take treatment that includes a stint in a residential facility, which Houtstra said he was eager to do.
His probation officer will have to approve of where he lives and he will not be allowed on any social media websites. He was also ordered to submit a DNA sample and was banned from owning weapons for 10 years.
Garriock encouraged Houtstra to take advantage of his probation period to improve.
"You want the help," he said. "It is being offered to you."
