Alex Van Herk arrives at the courthouse in Lethbridge, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. The sentencing for three men convicted of helping lead and coordinate the COVID-19 protest blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 has been delayed. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Delay in sentencing for three ringleaders convicted of mischief at Coutts blockade
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. - The sentencing for three men convicted of helping lead and coordinate the COVID-19 protest blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 has been delayed.
Alex Van Herk arrives at the courthouse in Lethbridge, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. The sentencing for three men convicted of helping lead and coordinate the COVID-19 protest blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 has been delayed. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. - The sentencing for three men convicted of helping lead and coordinate the COVID-19 protest blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 has been delayed.
Alex Van Herk, Marco Van Huigenbos, and Gerhard (George) Janzen were all found guilty by a jury of one count each of mischief over $5,000 in April.
A sentencing hearing was scheduled for Friday but the lawyer for Van Huigenbos is no longer representing him.
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Van Huigenbos needs time to retain new counsel and a sentencing date will now be set Oct. 17.
The three were charged for their roles in a blockade that tied up cross-border traffic between Canada and the United States at Coutts for two weeks in early 2022 in protest of COVID-19 rules and restrictions.
The maximum sentence for public mischief over $5000 is 10 years in prison.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published September 27, 2024.
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