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Trial set in Lloydminster court for man accused of violent home invasion

Riley Baptiste is headed to trial in February 2022. He is charged with numerous weapons offences in connection to a violent home invasion on Onion Lake Cree Nation in January 2021.

A man accused of a violent home invasion on Onion Lake Cree Nation elected to be tried by provincial court judge.

A lawyer for Riley Baptiste waived his attendance in Lloydminster Provincial Court Aug. 4 and a trial was set for Feb. 3, 2022. The crown is proceeding by way of indictable offence against Baptiste, the more serious charge.

Baptiste is charged with break and enter, pointing a firearm at another person, using a firearm in a careless manner, intentionally discharge a firearm in reckless manner, possession of a firearm without a license, assault with a weapon, theft over $5,000, being in a vehicle knowing it contained a firearm, and possession of a firearm for a purpose dangerous to the public.

The charges against Baptiste haven’t been proven in court.

Baptiste and Garth Swiftwolfe were charged after an incident where two people shot and kicked in a door on Onion Lake Cree Nation Jan. 31, 2021.

In April, Swiftwolfe was sentenced to eight years in prison for that incident and a separate incident in North Battleford the next day.

During Swiftwolfe’s sentencing hearing, the court heard that Swiftwolfe and another man shot the door before kicking it open. Swiftwolfe pointed a shotgun at one of the residents. The man was on the ground and while Swiftwolfe and his co-accused assaulted the man his co-accused allegedly said, “Where’s my money?”

When Onion Lake RCMP arrived they saw a hole in the back door from the shotgun blast and found blood in the house. At the time, Swiftwolfe was on a firearms prohibition.

The following day, on Feb. 1, 2021, Battlefords RCMP received a call at 8 a.m. that shots were fired at a house. Police didn’t find any evidence the house was shot at. The investigation led officers to an abandoned car where they found a 410 shotgun and spent casings.

RCMP obtained video surveillance and arrested Swiftwolfe.