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UPDATE: Man sentenced for thefts, assaults out of P.A., Melfort

Dec 18, 2018 | 1:34 PM

UPDATE:  A local-area man, and a former Prince Albert Raiders hockey player from the early 1990s will spend the next few months in jail for a string of break-ins and property crimes in the Prince Albert and Melfort areas.

Barkley Swenson was sentenced in Prince Albert Provincial court last week to four months in jail on charges possession of stolen property and breach of court conditions. Swenson is to serve the four-month term on top of a 15-month sentence that he received in November in Melfort on charges of assault and uttering threats.

The four-month term was based on a joint recommendation from both the Crown and defence in the case. Swenson is also banned from driving for six months after his release. On the Melfort charges, Swenson was also sentenced to 12 months of probation, a five-year firearms prohibition and was ordered to submit his DNA to the national registry. He was given credit for 195 days on remand while his charges were before the courts.

The Prince Albert charges stem from an incident in the city June 24. Swenson, 44, pleaded guilty to several charges including possession of stolen property, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, obstruction of a police officer and breach of probation.

On that day, court heard police stopped Swenson around 2:30 a.m. after spotting the truck and trailer with two Sea-Doos, a Traeger barbecue and a mini quad head south over the bridge into Prince Albert. Police checked the plates on the vehicle and found the registered owners did not match on the truck and trailer. After initially stopping for police, Swenson soon drove off and a chase ensued through the city, at speeds between 90 and 100 kilometres per hour.

The vehicle pursuit ended on the west side of the city when Swenson got out and tried to run from police. He was arrested after a struggle. Swenson later complained about a bump on his head and nausea, although he refused medical attention, Crown prosecutor Keith Amyotte told the court. Amyotte said Swenson was punched in the head while handcuffed in the incident.

A search of the vehicle later turned up a bottle of whiskey and scattered beer cans. The truck was reported stolen from the Wakaw area while the Sea-Doos were stolen from a home in Prince Albert. The owner of the mini quad could not be located, Amyotte said, although Swenson told the court it belongs to his children and asked that it be returned. The owner of the barbecue is still unknown.

Swenson’s defence lawyer, Rebecca Crookshanks said her client doesn’t usually get involved in situations involving stolen property, but agreed to move the items because he needed the money. Swenson said he was given $1,000 to do a repossession.

“He chose not to ask the questions even though there were those red flags,” Crookshanks said in court. “He recognizes that he should have handled this situation differently.”

Crookshanks said Swenson is hoping to get back to work and on to a more positive path once he leaves jail. The judge in the case ordered that the kids’ mini quad, and a farrier bag with items for shoeing horses, be returned to Swenson. The other stolen property was ordered returned to the owners as well.

Charges from Saskatoon are still before the courts.

 

With files from Angie Rolheiser

Charlene.tebbutt@jbpg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt

 

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A Melfort man facing charges in connection with stolen property and a police chase last month successfully argued for his release from custody Thursday.

Barkley Swenson is facing charges of possession of stolen property, obstructing a peace officer, attempting to evade police, dangerous driving and being unlawfully at large while on an undertaking in connection with an incident June 24. Swenson, 44, represented himself at a bail hearing on the charges Thursday at Prince Albert Provincial Court.

The Prince Albert Police Service said in a release last month that Swenson was charged after patrol officers spotted a suspicious vehicle crossing the bridge into the city around 2:30 a.m. on June 24. Police said a truck was seen towing two Sea-Doos and a small ATV on a trailer, along with a barbecue. Police stopped the vehicle, but the driver sped away, leading officers through the city. Police then chased the suspect on foot after the driver allegedly fled.

Swenson played several seasons with the Prince Albert Raiders hockey team in the early 1990s. He is scheduled to be back in court on the charges August 2.

He is presumed innocent at this stage.

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: Comments on this story are closed as the case is before the courts.

Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt

 

 

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Prince Albert police officers arrested a Melfort man and recovered a trove of alleged stolen property after a traffic stop early Sunday morning.

According to police, patrol officers spotted a suspicious truck crossing the bridge into the Prince Albert city limits on Second Ave. W. shortly after 2:30 a.m. Sunday. The truck was towing two Sea-Doos and a small ATV in a trailer, police said, and there was a barbeque in the back. When officers asked to see the driver’s registration, police said the driver sped away with the officers in pursuit.

Officers followed the truck through the city before the driver fled on foot at the intersection of 17th Ave. and Muir Dr. Officers caught up with the driver after a brief foot chase, police said, and he was arrested.

According to police the truck was stolen, as were the trailer, Sea-Doos, ATV, and even the barbeque.

The driver, 44-year-old Barkley Swenson from Melfort, was charged with two counts of possession of stolen property under $5,000 and one count of possession of stolen property over $5,000, along with charges of obstructing a peace officer, attempting to evade police in a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, and being unlawfully at large while on an undertaking.

Swenson was scheduled to make his first court appearance this morning in Prince Albert, police said. He is presumed innocent at this stage.

 

panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertNOW