3 men charged in Coutts blockade frustrated over trial delays | 24CA News
Three males charged with collaborating in a protest blockade on the Canada-United States border crossing at Coutts, Alta., appeared in courtroom Monday as a decide heard about frustrations in getting their case to trial.
Marco Van Huigenbos, 32, and Alex Van Herk, 53, who’re each from Fort Macleod, Alta., are charged with mischief over $5,000, together with George Janzen, 43, of Taber, Alta.
RCMP allege the lads have been key individuals on the blockade, which started in late January and lasted nearly three weeks.
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The accused have been scheduled to be formally arraigned and have trial dates set. Delays in finalizing attorneys and getting proof noticed the matter put over to Jan. 9.
“Absolute disappointment in the justice system that likes essentially to play games is the way I see it. It’s broken, but this was expected,” Van Huigenbos, a city councillor in Fort Macleod, informed reporters outdoors courtroom after the looks.
“It’s hanging over our heads.
“I have a family. I have a business and it affects others who are not involved in this. The frustration is obviously the bigger picture here.”
Van Huigenbos and Van Herk stated they wish to know why they’re charged with mischief and never with an offence below Alberta’s Critical Infrastructure Defence Act.
Van Herk tried to handle Court of King’s Bench Justice Johnna Kubik.
“You’re represented by counsel so you can’t make any speeches in front of me. You’ll talk to your counsel about those things,” she stated.
Van Herk stated outdoors courtroom that he needed an evidence on why the group was being charged with mischief.
“I did it politely I felt and I had asked the judge for an explanation. I’m just, I guess, a naive farmer. I’m not in the judicial system every day and I don’t know everything about it,” he stated.
“I’m attempting to grasp why they’re charging us the best way they’re.
“I felt, why couldn’t we have an opportunity to just speak directly to the judge, explain the situation and said why are we wasting our time here?”
The three males have elected to be tried earlier than a decide and jury.
A trial earlier than a decide and jury has been scheduled for June of subsequent 12 months for 4 different males charged with conspiracy to commit homicide on the blockade.
Chris Carbert, Chris Lysak, Anthony Olienick and Jerry Morin have been charged in February after RCMP discovered a cache of weapons, physique armour and ammunition in trailers on the protest close to Coutts.
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