First Grad of City’s Drug Treatment Court Sentenced After Relapse

The first graduate of Medicine Hat’s drug treatment court will be spending the bulk of the next year in jail following a guilty plea to breaking into more than a half dozen travel trailers.

During a lengthy hearing Tuesday at Medicine Hat Court of Justice, arguments were heard whether Monty McLeod, 46, should be given an opportunity to continue drug treatment or be handed a custodial sentence.

In the end, the Crown’s arguments won out that deterrence and denunciation should outweigh rehabilitation efforts for McLeod who was the city’s first accused to have been successful in completion of a supervised sentence under the drug treatment court regime.

Tuesday’s proceedings began as a bail hearing in an attempt to secure McLeod’s release to attend a drug rehabilitation centre where he had secured a treatment bed starting next month. That notion went off the rails before completion with a strong indication a bail application would be a tough sell.

Following a break, McLeod entered guilty pleas to property offences relating to the break-in of a RV storage facility and at least seven travel trailers. He also pled guilty to breaking into a football clubhouse at Medicine Hat High School as well as an apartment he’d previously been evicted from earlier this year.

Defence lawyer Vincent Guinan called McLeod, “one of the first victims of the opioid crisis,” after being prescribed powerful narcotics following a workplace injury. Following that prescription running out, Guinan told the court of what has happened to countless others occurred to his client in where formerly productive members of society turned to street drugs.

In seeking a chance for his client to get back on track with drug addiction rehabilitation efforts, Guinan asked the court to give his client a two-year community sentence rather than a one-year jail term. He highlighted McLeod’s cooperation with police investigating the crimes and his attempts to help others enter drug treatment programs before relapsing.

But while Provincial Court Justice Timothy Hironaka commended Guinan for his advocacy efforts, he ultimately concluded, “it’s time to pay the piper.”

McLeod was handed a one-year global sentence for his offences minus 81 days credit for pre-trial custody.

Justice Hironaka commented to McLeod as he left court that he should, “keep the faith.”

“I am,” responded McLeod.