Man pleads guilty, is sentenced for incident north of Estevan in January

ESTEVAN - A man who was charged following an incident north of Estevan in January pleaded guilty to four counts Monday in Estevan Provincial Court.

Justice Guillas, 19, pleaded guilty to one count each of assault, assault with intent to steal, resisting a police officer and mischief.

Three counts of assault with intent to steal, two counts of assault and one count of failing to comply with a release order were stayed.

Judge Bruce Henning sentenced Guillas to 335 days in prison, following a joint submission from the Crown prosecutor and Guillas’ attorney. Guillas had spent 61 days in jail on remand, which was credited to his sentence as time and a half, reducing his sentence by 92 days.

Guillas will spend 243 days in prison. The sentence started Monday.

According to the Saskatchewan RCMP, officers were called to a three-vehicle incident north of Estevan on Jan. 12. Initial investigation determined a vehicle was travelling southbound when Guillas, who was a passenger in the vehicle, attempted to gain control, causing it to stop in the middle of the road.

A second vehicle, with one lone occupant, collided with the first vehicle. The RCMP said Guillas – who was injured as a result of the collision – then assaulted and attempted to rob the driver of the second vehicle. The driver of the second vehicle, Troy LeBlanc of Estevan, was treated at hospital with injuries described as serious but non-life-threatening.

LeBlanc provided a victim impact statement for the sentencing, and Henning noted LeBlanc was “quite traumatized by the event”.

Guillas made several attempts to stop and steal other passing vehicles. He climbed in the passenger window of one of the vehicles, which ended up in the ditch. Officers arrived on scene and told the man he was under arrest. The RCMP said man did not comply, rushed at one of the officers and attempted to pull their conducted energy device from their uniform. Another officer deployed their conducted energy device. He was arrested a short time later and taken to hospital for treatment of the injuries sustained in the collision.

Highway 47 was closed for approximately two hours for initial response and investigation.

Henning commended Guillas for "doing well" since being incarcerated in the Regina Correctional Centre, and he said that was taken into consideration with the joint submission. But he also warned Guillas about the potential consequences if he finds himself in trouble again. 

A future edition of the Mercury will have more on this story.

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