https://www.facebook.com/okotokswesternwheel/videos/1980568381977963/ All charges against Foothills landowner Edouard Maurice were withdrawn in Okotoks court on June 22. “Shocked. Relief that it’s over,” said Maurice when asked how he felt about the Crown’s decision. “It’s been quite a tough four months to go through this. It’s been a lot of stress, anxiety. “With the support that’s come out it’s really helped, everyone showing up on our court appearances. It’s really kept our heads above water.” Maurice was charged with aggravated assault, pointing a firearm and careless use of a firearm after police responded to alleged gunshots when he saw an individual prowling through vehicles on his property on Feb. 24. Two individuals fled the scene, with one suffering from an arm injury allegedly due to gunfire. Rallies of 100-plus people took place outside the Okotoks provincial courthouse at each of his six court appearances, many holding signs of support. The courtroom erupted with applause and cheering when Crown prosecutor James Sawa announced the decision to withdraw all charges on Friday. “As a responsibility as a Crown prosecutor it’s necessary to review all the incoming information and to assess the file as it’s coming in on an ongoing basis,” said Sawa. “We received information from a firearms expert, and that information was compelling to say the least, and it had a direct impact on the decision today to withdraw the charges.” Because the two accused intruders – Ryan Watson, who was taken to hospital with an injured arm, and Stephanie Ann Martens – are still being prosecuted, Sawa could not disclose the ballistics evidence. He said the crowds of supporters did not weigh on the matter. “I don’t take public pressure as an influence on my decision-making or how I conduct myself,” said Sawa. “The merits of the case have to be decided upon, the merits of the case have to be reviewed again, analyzed, and the law applied. And that was what was done in this case.” Defence counsel Tonii Roulston said the Crown made the right decision in the Maurice case. “My view is, assess the charges prior,” said Roulston. “I know four months doesn’t seem like it’s swift, but the Crown did, once they got all of the disclosure, they did make the right decision in my view.” Roulston also publicly relayed the circumstances surrounding the Feb. 24 incident for the first time. Two intruders came on to the property on Feb. 24 and appeared to be stealing one of Maurice’s vehicles, but he was home alone with his youngest child and didn’t know what they might do next, she said. He asked them to leave and they refused, and then Maurice fired a warning shot away from the intruders, which caused them to flee the property, she said. He then called the police, she said. “What he was doing was protecting his family because he didn’t know what these individuals were going to do next,” said Roulston. “We don’t want to be advocating that individuals don’t call the police. However, to wait 20 minutes for police arrival and to take action, these individuals could have broken into his home, he had a baby at home, and he would be the only line of defence with respect to that child.” She said rural citizens should be able to defend their families and properties, and should not have to wait 20 minutes or longer for police to arrive. Ideally, the government should provide funding to get more officers out in rural communities and that a police presence could deter property theft from occurring, she said. “And there needs to be a more liberal view with regards to self-defence and self-defence of property, where we don’t have to explain why we defended ourselves when intruders come onto our property,” said Roulston. Maurice and his wife Jessica agreed. Jessica said the four-month ordeal made them stronger as people and brought them a new perspective on the issue of rural crime. “We’ve tried to keep a positive outlook on the whole thing and look at it as a learning opportunity and an opportunity for this issue to come to the forefront in the media and the news, because clearly it’s a big issue for the community,” said Jessica. She said they hope rural crime becomes an election issue in upcoming provincial and federal elections over the next two years to get the matter on the table and hopefully come up with solutions. One of the biggest issues to deal with is the opioid crisis, she said. “We’ve talked about making some changes to how you deal with drug addiction, because it’s really related to property crimes,” said Jessica. “Throwing them in jail is not the solution because they just get back out and do things again.”
