A 77-year-old man with a strong track record in business and volunteering pleaded guilty to drug and weapons charges in St. Albert court Wednesday.
A 77-year-old man with a strong track record in business and volunteering pleaded guilty to drug and weapons charges in St. Albert court Wednesday.
Elroy Arthur Haight, pleaded guilty to a single count of possession for the purposes of trafficking and a weapons charge for failing to store his weapons in line with regulations.
Haight received a two-year conditional sentence, which includes six months of house arrest and 18 months with a nightly curfew. He was also given a $2,000 fine and a year of probation.
The case left the sentencing judge stumped as to why a man who went his entire life without a criminal record, took on a life of crime.
Crown prosecutor Kevin Short told the court police began looking into the case after being alerted to Haight through three separate tips. Police started a surveillance operation and on Aug. 5 last year obtained a warrant and searched Haight's home.
Haight was at home when police arrived and co-operated completely with their search.
When they arrested him he had two small pieces of cocaine in his pocket and there were another nine pieces in a locked room, for a total weight of eight and a half grams. He also had 25 half-gram bags of marijuana, a small amount of morphine and oxycontin pills and a total of $5,000 cash. There was also drug paraphernalia and dozens of empty pill bottles.
In addition to the drugs, Haight had transaction sheets tracking his clients and drug sales. Short said several of those sheets indicated Haight had exchanged drugs for sex and had paid a live-in housekeeper in cocaine for the work she did around the house.
The weapons included 11 rifles and one small Derringer-style handgun. The handgun, it later turned out, was not operational. The rifles were stored behind a locked door, but they didn't have the requisite trigger locks, which Short said was the reason for the charge.
The conditional sentence came as part of a plea arrangement. Short said the offence was serious and he was particularly concerned because of where Haight's home is located on Salisbury Avenue.
"The residence of the accused is very near a school," he said. "If you are trafficking near one it brings drug users into the community."
Defence lawyer William Tatarchuk pointed to his client's lack of criminal record and noted that there had been no further problems since his arrest.
He also pointed to a long record of serving the community. After a 20-year career with Canada Post, Haight owned and operated a gas station on St. Albert Trail and then an auto repair shop in Riel Park.
He volunteered for decades with the Kinsmen and helped the group repair and run a bus to help get children to camp. For that and all of his efforts with the group, he was honoured along with other members at an annual banquet, Tatatchuk said.
After hearing about his success in business and his volunteer work, Judge Ken Tjosvold said he was simply baffled as to why the man turned to crime.
Haight's wife passed away six years ago and Tatarchuk said he believed that played a role.
"That may have been the catalyst to a degree of loneliness," he said.
Tatarchuk said his client had difficulty being alone and that his drug business was not a profitable one. He said Haight mostly exchanged drugs for services, including maintenance to his home.
The conditions of Haight's house arrest will require him not to drink alcohol and to take any counseling he is directed to. He will not be allowed visitors from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and except for his five grandchildren, he will not be allowed any visitors under the age of 30.
