COLD LAKE – After more than two years, a conclusion has been reached in relation to a case that involved a Fort Kent man who was charged with sexually assaulting a Cold Lake dealership employee in October of 2019.
On June 6, appearing in a St. Paul court room via CCTV from the Edmonton Remand Centre, Glen Edward Bringleson was convicted of sexual assault and sentenced to 2.5 years in prison.
The sentence also came with a 10-year firearm prohibition, which is mandatory in convictions involving crimes where violence was used, threatened or attempted.
Following the conviction handed down by the presiding Justice, Judge Cheryl Arcand-Kootenay, Bringleson is also subject to a lifetime order restricting him from being in possession of prohibited and restricted firearms and weapons.
Charges laid by RCMP
Bringleson made his first court appearance in the Cold Lake Provincial Courthouse on Oct. 23, 2019, after RCMP laid charges against him for an incident that occurred on Oct. 4.
Following a joint investigation by the Cold Lake RCMP and the Eastern Alberta District Rural Crime Reduction Unit, Bringleson who was 55 years old at the time the assault took place, was charged with sexually assaulting a female car dealership employee during a vehicle test drive.
The list of charges had included forcible confinement, unsafe storage of a firearm, and unauthorized possession of a firearm.
On the day the assault took place, Bringleson attended a Cold Lake car dealership requesting a test drive.
A female employee accompanied him on the trip and during the course of the test drive, she was taken to a secluded area and sexually assaulted by Bringleson.
RELATED STORY: Fort Kent man charged with sexually assaulting dealership employee appears in court
Police executed a search warrant on Bringleson's Fort Kent residence with the help of RCMP Police Dog Services. At the time, his electronic devices were seized as a result of the search.
Bringleson was then released on several conditions including not to attend any car dealership in Alberta, and he was prohibited from possessing a cellphone with photo/video capabilities.
Lengthy resolution
Over the next year the matters against Bringleson were adjourned numerous times and moved between courthouses until it was ultimately concluded at the Court of Queen's Bench in St. Paul.
Extending the resolution of the legal matters further was Bringleson’s failure to appear at his first trial date that was set for March 15, 2022. A warrant for his arrest was subsequently issued, RCMP Media Relations Officer Cpl. Troy Savinkoff confirmed to Lakeland This Week in a statement.
“The warrant was extended, and a request was sent to Sault St. Marie for assistance in apprehending him. Ultimately, he was arrested in Ontario and transported back to Alberta,” stated Savinkoff.
