The man accused of getting into a shootout with a rural homeowner in December 2016 plead guilty.
Austin Don Crevier had originally scheduled a two-day trial for March, but instead, pleaded guilty to seven counts during his appearance in the Bonnyville Provincial Courthouse on Tuesday, Feb. 5.
He adjourned his sentencing to the St. Paul Provincial Courthouse on Thursday, Feb. 7, where he was sentenced to 24 months in custody and a lifetime weapons prohibition.
Crevier, 22 of Fishing Lake Métis Settlement, plead guilty to unlawful use of a firearm, careless use/storage of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a prohibited weapon, breaking and entering, failing to comply with conditions, and breaching his probation order.
On Dec. 19, 2016, Crevier, along with Amy Cardinal and Kelvin Cardinal, broke onto a rural property in the MD of Bonnyville with the intention of stealing the property owner’s truck, which was located in a quonset hut.
Crevier used a crowbar to break open the locked gate in order to gain access to the property.
The truck they were in, which was a Ford F250, drove up to the quonset hut. The three suspects got out of the vehicle and gained entry into the quonset hut.
The homeowner saw the truck through camera footage. At first, he thought it might have been his father, so he gave him a call. When his dad confirmed he wasn’t on the property, the homeowner went to approach the suspects with a loaded firearm.
The resident’s father decided to make his way to his son’s place to help.
Crevier saw the homeowner and began to flee, getting into the driver’s seat of the F250 and grabbing a loaded 22-calibre rifle.
Shots were exchanged between the property owner and Crevier, who was the first to shoot.
The homeowner shot the front-end of the truck twice before Crevier fled the area. Amy Cardinal and Kelvin Cardinal left on foot through the woods.
RCMP were called to the scene, and when they arrived, found the homeowner’s truck inside of the quonset hut with the back window smashed. The crowbar that was used to break onto the property was also inside.
As Crevier was fleeing the area, the homeowner’s father spotted the F250 and followed it until it broke down. He saw the suspect climb out of the truck and get picked up by another vehicle.
With the assistance of Police Dog Services and the RCMP helicopter with infrared cameras, local police located Amy Cardinal and Kelvin Cardinal later that night.
Items inside of the F250, which was searched by police, linked Crevier to the vehicle. His DNA was on a can of Twisted Tea and his fingerprints were also on items inside.
The firearm used in the incident was never recovered, however a box of ammunition for the weapon was found in the truck.
Crevier was arrested in May 2018 for the role he played in the break and enter.
