By Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles on Twitter

Two accused in west side standoff taken back into custody for alleged breach

May 30, 2018 | 3:49 PM

LETHBRIDGE – Two men charged in connection with a police standoff in west Lethbridge in early 2017, have been taken back into custody after returning from Ontario for a court appearance Wednesday, May 30.

Brian Fulljames and Forrest Jensen were supposed to go to trial in February but were unable to arrange for transport back to Lethbridge on that date, as well as for several other follow up appearances.

When they finally did arrive in court, Crown prosecutor Michael Fox stated that there were warrants out for the two individuals for allegedly breaching release conditions by failing to inform Lethbridge Police that they were leaving the province and moving to Ontario. Fulljames and Jensen were then taken into custody with their matter adjourned to Thursday, May 31, for a bail hearing.

Both men showed obvious concern and frustration as they were taken into custody by sheriffs, and as Fulljames’ lawyer Greg White stated outside the courtroom, their reaction is understandable.

“It’s upset them quite a bit for them to come here, all this way, to be arrested on a warrant that has been sitting there since November of last year, and nobody had brought it up with their counsel,” said White.

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“They came all the way here from Ontario, they went to a friend and borrowed $1,100,” he continued. “If they were a flight risk, if there was a concern, they would not have come here to deal with these charges. They want to deal with these charges.”

White also addressed the new breach charge and his concerns with it.

“There was a condition of their release that stated that they were to live at a certain address here in Lethbridge,” explained White. “I can only speak in regard to Mr. Fulljames, because I am not counsel to Mr. Jensen – but for Mr. Fulljames, before he moved to Ontario, we came into court and we changed that condition to allow him to change his address, so he could move somewhere else, as long as he advised the police of that.”

White says Fulljames told him that the police had been informed but that they were still arrested and charged in Ontario for allegedly failing to do so on another warrant. He added that they were released in Ontario and even have a trial already scheduled for this summer.

“These guys don’t belong in jail,” he concluded.

Background

The charges against Fulljames and Jensen stem from an incident on Feb. 10, 2017, when Lethbridge Police attended a home along Dalhousie Court West to execute a warrant for a male.

They allege a man resisted arrest and brandished a knife, and because they believed there were additional weapons in the home, they withdrew and contained the suspect and another individual inside the residence.

After nearly four hours, both men surrendered to police without incident.

They were each charged with assaulting a peace officer and resisting arrest, while Fulljames alone was charged with uttering threats to cause death.