The work of undercover police officers has landed Patrick Leland Schmold two in custody.
On Tuesday, July 3, Schmold pled guilty to possession of stolen property under $5,000, possession of a prohibited firearm while in a motor vehicle, unauthorized possession of a weapon, possession of methamphetamine, and trafficking methamphetamine.
Local RCMP were conducting patrols of 53 Ave. on Jan. 2 when they spotted a suspicious vehicle. After running the license plate, RCMP discovered the plate had been stolen out of St. Paul. Schmold was arrested and charged with possession of stolen property under $5,000.
Over one-month later, on Feb. 20, officers pulled over a Ford hatchback that as dragging a piece of metal. The driver was Schmold, who was unauthorized to drive at the time. During their arrest, RCMP saw a small vial of methamphetamine in the vehicle, and arrested all of the occupants as a result.
During a more thorough search of the vehicle, officers located a loaded sawed-off shotgun behind the driver's seat.
Schmold was charged with possession of a prohibited firearm, unauthorized possession of a weapon, and possession of methamphetamine.
On Feb. 27, an undercover officer contacted Schmold as part of a drug trafficking investigation. They agreed to meet at a Bonnyville parking lot, where the officer purchased .64-grams of methamphetamine.
The next day, the undercover officer arranged another meeting and purchased 1.26-grams of the same drug.
Schmold was arrested for trafficking methamphetamine as a result of the investigation on May 14.
For all charges, both the federal and provincial Crown were seeking two years custody, a lifetime weapons prohibition, and a DNA sample for the national databank.
According to Stephanie Oleksyn, acting duty counsel, the 29-year-old Bonnyville male struggles with addiction issues, and has difficulty "coping" with them.
The federal Crown agreed it was clear Schmold sold methamphetamine as a way of supporting his drug habit.
This was one of the reasons why they weren't seeking the mandatory minimum three-year sentence for trafficking.
Honourable Judge Kathleen Williams noted Schmold's record does have multiple related offences.
She said the Crown was taking an "unusual and very understanding" position when it came to their sentencing recommendation.
"You need to consider yourself very lucky," she detailed.
Williams agreed to the joint submission and sentenced Schmold to two years in custody, a lifetime weapons prohibition, and required him to provide a sample of his DNA. She stressed if it happens again, he would be going to jail for "a very long time."
"You've been given a chance here."
