An Estevan man received a joint submission of a $1,000 fine, nine-month probation and an addictions assessment for impersonating a peace officer at the Leisure Centre in Estevan on Aug. 17.
Forty-five-year-old John Hugh Halamoutis appeared in Estevan provincial court where the Crown's submissions were read to Judge Karl Bazin, who made the final decision on Aug. 18.
According to the Crown, another man had entered the Leisure Centre to rent a locker on Aug. 17 at around 7 p.m., at which time he placed a bag in the locker he just rented. At 9 p.m., Halamoutis entered the Leisure Centre and approached the front desk, asking for permission to access one of the lockers in the change room where he said a duffle bag containing drugs was located.
The front desk of the Leisure Centre hesitated to grant him access, until Halamoutis claimed to be from the Federal Department of Corrections, urging the staff member to let him inside, saying "It's federal, it's federal" repeatedly. The Crown noted that witnesses, who included the front desk and maintenance employees, said Halamoutis became increasingly frustrated as time passed on.
The Crown also said Halamoutis presented the woman at the front desk with an old federal penitentiary card of his, which he had claimed was his federal agent identification.
He eventually gained access to the locker that contained the deposited duffle bag which was placed there earlier that night. He showed the contents of the bag to the maintenance officer, who then asked Halamoutis to leave the building.
While Estevan police reviewed video evidence, the RCMP had informed them about a call they had received from Halamoutis, who had asked them to meet him at a particular location where he handed over the duffle bag. The Crown said Halamoutis had been drinking during the day and was embarrassed about the outcome of the situation. The bag he turned over to police contained 37.2 g of cocaine, and other small quantities of drugs.
The Crown acknowledged the accuser's minimal criminal history, but stressed the fact that Halamoutis had tried to take the law into his own hands, and would have done better if he had informed police of where the drugs had come from initially. The Crown also said the impersonation charge was the biggest concern, despite the large amount of cocaine that was ultimately seized, but in the end didn't belong to Halamoutis.
The accused was also charged with a breach of condition, after he was found consuming alcohol past his 11 p.m. curfew at the Kenosee Lake Bar on May 1, for which he received an additional $300 fine.
In other proceedings, 30-year-old Nathan Mullen who has been charged with second-degree murder and is now in police custody appeared via closed circuit television. The matter was adjourned to Sept. 22.
