A St. Albert man was fined for using flashing lights – resembling emergency lights – to pull over Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk last winter.
Joshua Aaron Fletcher was handed a $400 fine after he pleaded guilty in St. Albert Provincial Court Monday to having flashing lights in an unauthorized vehicle.
Fletcher was driving a vehicle with an activated set of red and blue flashing lights located on the dashboard when he approached Lukaszuk's vehicle on Nov. 14, 2011.
Lukaszuk, who was the province’s education minister at the time, pulled over to the side of St. Albert Trail after seeing the flashing lights behind him.
The incident occurred in the midst of a snowstorm, with heavy traffic, heavy snowfall and slippery road conditions, said special prosecutor Robert Sera.
Fletcher remained in his vehicle after apparently pulling Lukaszuk over, so Lukaszuk pulled over further onto Rivercrest Crescent. Fletcher followed him but sped off shortly after.
An earlier court appearance revealed that two young people were in the vehicle and appeared to be laughing as the car passed Lukaszuk’s stopped vehicle.
Realizing he had been deceived, Lukaszuk followed the vehicle, contacted police and blocked the vehicle in a parking lot until police arrived.
Sera withdrew an additional charge for impersonating a police officer. Fletcher faces numerous other unrelated charges, which have been put over to March 4.
