An Edmonton man with a history of mental illness could have avoided months in jail had he not followed some bad advice, said a St. Albert prosecutor.
Garry Roland Nordell, 57, of Edmonton appeared in St. Albert Provincial Court Monday on CCTV to plead guilty to one count each of obstructing a peace officer and failing to produce his licence, registration, and proof of insurance when asked.
St. Albert bylaw officials got a call on June 30, 2012, from a woman who thought a dog in Nordell’s car was in distress, said provincial crown prosecutor Douglas Taylor. The dog was fine, but the car was illegally parked.
When Nordell returned, he refused the officer’s demand that he produce his licence and registration. “The accused started saying things like, ‘you are my witness, where is your star,’ ” Taylor said, and drove away with the officer in pursuit. Nordell was arrested Aug. 5 with the help of St. Albert RCMP and the Edmonton police.
After Nordell refused to acknowledge his identity at a January court appearance, he was ordered to undergo a psychiatric assessment. Doctors found that he had paranoid delusional disorder and an unconfirmed history of schizophrenia.
In February, Taylor told the court that Nordell appeared to be a follower of David Wynn Miller, an American activist who instructs his followers to use a certain legal syntax in legal proceedings to limit the powers of the courts.
Nordell spent much of his February appearance with his back to Judge Norman Mackie, and would occasionally interrupt proceedings with remarks such as, “I have a contract with the postal office to keep me safe” and “I’m in bondage.”
“Mr. Nordell has probably been in custody as a result of being prodded by others who thought they knew better than he did,” Taylor said, referring to associates of Nordell who were apparently advising him in this matter.
Nordell had no criminal record, Taylor noted, and could have gotten out of jail much sooner had he simply dealt with the charges laid against him. “He should be released as soon as possible.”
Judge Bruce Garriock sentenced Nordell to 17 days in jail, deemed served by the 90-some days he had already spent awaiting sentence, and waived the victim’s fine surcharge.
St. Albert court saw an Alberta man sent to jail Monday after he fell off the wagon and drove drunk.
David Virgil Dykeman pleaded guilty in St. Albert court this week to one count each of impaired driving causing bodily harm, failure to stop at the scene of an accident and theft over $5,000.
St. Albert RCMP responded to a collision at St. Albert Trail and Hebert Road last Feb. 10 at around 9:27 a.m., said provincial crown prosecutor John Donahoe. When officers arrived, they saw a heavily damaged vehicle and a female driver with broken ribs.
Donahoe had fled the scene in a truck he was not authorized to drive, pursued by witnesses. A police officer got in another crash while chasing him.
After being boxed in near the intersection of Campbell Road and Anthony Henday Drive, Dykeman told police that he had had too much to drink. Breath samples suggested that he had 270 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milligrams of his blood – the legal limit is 80.
The court heard that Dykeman developed an alcohol problem in 2008 after his 11-year-old daughter was molested by a close friend, and that he had been sober for 611 days before the crash.
“I’m embarrassed and I’m totally appalled by my behaviour,” Dykeman said.
Dykeman’s previous record of drunk driving and high level of intoxication were aggravating factors in this case, Garriock said, while his actions had inflicted physical and mental trauma on the crash victim.
Garriock jailed Dykeman for 15 months ordered him to pay $9,232.34 in restitution. He also banned him from driving for three years and ordered him to submit a DNA sample to the national criminal databank.
