ESTEVAN — One of the four men charged in connection with an incident in Estevan in November 2023 has pleaded guilty and been sentenced.
Nathan Charles Mangaard, age 37, entered his plea during a video appearance in Estevan Provincial Court on June 5. His case was supposed to go to trial that day, but instead, he pleaded out to one count of uttering threats to cause serious bodily harm, one count of aggravated assault, both of which had two victims, and one count of unlawful confinement involving one of the victims. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of violating his release conditions.
One charge each of uttering threats to cause serious bodily harm, aggravated assault, possession of property obtained by crime, possession of break-in instruments and unlawful confinement was stayed.
A joint submission from Crown prosecutor Travis Avery and Mangaard's defence attorney Cassan Geiler called for a 3 1/2-year prison sentence. It amounts to 1,277 days in custody, but Avery said Mangaard has spent 543 days in remand, which means he has accumulated 815 days of time-served credit and has 462 days left to serve. Two 45-day sentences for violating release conditions will be served concurrently with the 3 1/2 years.
Several conditions were applied to Mangaard, including a lifetime weapons ban and a no-contact order with the two victims.
Avery noted that on or about Nov. 7, 2023, the Estevan Police Service was called to an apartment complex where one of the victims lived. The caller was a neighbour who said it sounded like somebody was getting seriously injured.
When police arrived, Avery said officers spoke with one of the victims, who was observed to have cuts and bruises to his face and a bloodied nose. The victim noted four people had come into his apartment and assaulted him, Avery said, with one person striking him with a metal baseball bat.
Avery noted one of the victims suffered a broken orbital bone. The other sustained two fractured ribs and what Avery called "a significant facial hematoma". Avery noted some cash was taken from the victim's residence, and one of the victims said he used to sell cocaine for the accused.
The EPS obtained and executed search warrants at multiple locations in the city, Avery said, including one in the 900-block of Fourth Street where Avery said Mangaard was arrested and evidence related to the case was located. The others were on 12th Avenue, Cundall Drive and Fourth Street.
Avery also submitted a four-page criminal record for Mangaard that includes arrests for armed robbery, break and enters, weapons offences and assault causing bodily harm, which Avery called "of significant concern", and failing to comply with release conditions.
The prosecutor noted there is some conflict about who did what during the assault, but he's "not terribly concerned" about it.
"At the end of the day, the essence of what I anticipate Mr. Mangaard is acknowledging in his guilty plea is that he was a member of this group," said Avery.
There was risk for both sides going forward, Avery said, but if Mangaard had been convicted after a trial, the Crown would have been seeking a significantly higher sentence.
"We've essentially met in the middle here," he said. "The 3 1/2-year sentence that we're proposing is in line with what would be appropriate for an aggravated assault given Mr. Mangaard's record, and I'll say it's not outside of the range for what is typically classed as home-invasion cases, although it would be an extremely lenient sentence for something like that."
Mangaard violated his release conditions on Jan. 13, 2024, when Avery said Mangaard was arrested at a residence in Estevan where he was not supposed to be, and a small amount of cannabis was found on him.
Geiler pointed out that Mangaard was first connected to Social Services at age three and was diagnosed with learning disabilities and mental health conditions. He has also been subject to physical and emotional abuse, Geiler said, and has struggled with addictions.
When he moved to Saskatchewan, Geiler said Mangaard had very limited resources. He reconnected with an old friend in Billie Bertram, who is one of the co-accused in the November 2023 case, and Geiler said Bertram brought Mangaard to Estevan days before the incident.
"Mr. Mangaard tells me that his plan, upon his release, is to move back to Ontario where he has a support network, friends and family, who are all supportive and sober and prepared to help him, both with rehabilitation and recovery from addiction," said Geiler.
When given the chance to speak, Mangaard apologized for his actions, said he had remorse for what he did and he regrets every second of it.
"I was just in a really bad situation, I was freezing every night in Regina, getting attacked, all of my stuff being stolen," said Mangaard. "I was actually trying to change my life going to Estevan."
Judge Mitch Miller described the incident as "a nasty piece of work". The victims must have been terrified about what was going to happen and being attacked with a baseball bat.
"It's regrettable the part you played in this. I understand somewhat – I don't condone it – but I understand somewhat how you got involved in this, and it seems to me you got mixed up in the wrong crowd," Miller said in accepting the joint submission.
Miller added he is pleased to hear Mangaard is planning to go back to Ontario where Mangaard has family support, because while he might have detoxified, he still has to get his addictions issues under control.
Bertram is currently on remand in Edmonton on another charge. He is scheduled to appear in Estevan court by CCTV on June 16. Bertram is currently looking for a new lawyer to represent him, and he told Miller the June 16 date should give him enough time to get legal representation.
Another co-accused, Bradley Williams, has a show-cause hearing slated for June 23 in connection with the incident. He has other matters before the court.
Charges were stayed against the fourth person following the man's death in a vehicle collision in 2024.
