An Estevan man was sentenced to two years and a day in prison and received a 10-year firearms prohibition on Jan. 12 for a variety of charges laid against him in 2014.
Brady Swyryda, 20, was charged with conspiring to an armed robbery, breaking and entering and breaching his existing probation order.
According to the crown, a representative of Westmoreland Coal Company reported a break and enter at their facility two miles south of Estevan Oct. 4, 2014.
Weyburn RCMP and Estevan RCMP arrived to loud music, banging and broken window glass. RCMP entered the building with a key provided by the company and found seven individuals, one of whom was Swyryda. A bon fire had been lit in the facility. Several thousand dollars’ worth of damage was done to the machinery and tools inside.
All party members were transported to the police station. Statements revealed the group decided to meet at Westmoreland Coal Company early in the evening to party.
The crown moved on to the circumstances of a case surrounding an incident on October 27, 2014, when Swyryda and his friend planned to rob a drug dealer of his drugs. The two created masks out of t-shirts with eyeholes cut out. A BB gun was also in their possession and was included in their plans to rob the victim.
“It’s not the carrying out of the action he’s getting in trouble for, it’s because an agreement was reached between them to carry out this plan,” the crown said, noting a police investigation revealed Swyryda was not involved in the ensuing robbery of the victim, which was carried out by other people.
Presiding judge Lane Weigher noted Swyryda’s limited record as an adult, but stressed the fact that his record as a youth was an aggravating factor and therefore accepted the joint submission by the defense and the crown.
In other proceedings, Corey Nashiem, 25, received a $2,500 fine and a five-year animal possession prohibition.
Nashiem’s sentence stems from an investigation by the RCMP on February 18, 2014, when police were notified by a civilian who said that animals on Nashiem’s farm were being mistreated. A call was made to the Saskatchewan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and a warrant was issued.
According to the crown, the ensuing investigation revealed a number of malnourished animals and eight sheep carcasses, which were found in the dumpster next to the accused’s farm just outside of Estevan. The carcass of a cat was also found.
Upon closer examination, it was discovered that the remaining sheep herd were malnourished and had endured severe wool loss. Other animals in the pen were in adequate shape, but the crown said a lack of water source was noted by police.
The defense said Nashiem was extremely apologetic of what happened, and that he’s an experienced farmer who was involved in an unlucky scenario that included a series of miscommunications with another person who he said was supposed to help him take care of the animals. Nashiem said this person was also supposed to pick up the donkey, which was supposedly killing some of the sheep, and take care of some of the animals while he was working. The woman in question, who turned out to be the complainant, did not follow through with the alleged agreement between the two.
