A Gibbons man has been fined $50 for shooting a gun out of a car window while under the influence.
Tyler Skarsen of Gibbons pleaded guilty to one count of careless use of a firearm Monday in St. Albert Provincial Court.
Last May 12 at about 10 p.m., provincial Crown prosecutor John Donahoe told the court, Morinville RCMP got a report from a town resident that a man had been spotted shooting a long-barrel gun out the window of a car at an unidentified target.
Police stopped the car and questioned its four occupants, all of whom had been drinking. One of the occupants, Skarsen, admitted to owning and firing the fully loaded .17 calibre rifle seen by the town resident. The court heard that Skarsen had been shooting at beavers in a nearby swamp.
A .17 calibre bullet is smaller than a .22, being about four millimetres wide, and is commonly used for target shooting or small game.
This was “sheer stupidity” on Skarsen’s part, Donahoe said, aggravated by the fact that he had consumed alcohol beforehand. Still, Skarsen had no criminal record.
Judge Ernie Walter sentenced Skarsen to a year’s probation, during which he is to keep the peace, abstain from drugs and alcohol, and complete 50 hours of community service. He must also pay a $50 victim’s fine surcharge.
Skarsen’s gun was confiscated. Skarsen is banned from owning any weapons while on probation.
An Edmonton man will be on a tight legal leash for the next year and a half after spending about a month in jail for stealing two Halloween masks.
Trevor Hetherington, 30, of Edmonton pleaded guilty to one count each of possession of stolen property and theft under $5,000 Monday in St. Albert court.
Police found Hetherington in the parking lot of a local Bay store on Sept. 21, 2011, said provincial Crown prosecutor Val Campbell, after a store employee called them to report suspicious activity. Police found that Hetherington was seated in the driver’s seat of a stolen, parked car worth about $500. He had also been videotaped walking out of The Bay with two Halloween masks without paying for them. Police learned that he had recently been in the company of a man with a sawn-off shotgun.
Hetherington has some 65 prior convictions on his criminal record, Campbell said, including break-and-enter, theft, robbery and other property crimes. His last conviction was about eight years ago.
Walter sentenced Hetherington to 31 days in jail, which he had already served while awaiting trial. He also put him on probation for 18 months.
