By Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles on Twitter

Lethbridge man admits to building, detonating explosive device

Sep 24, 2018 | 5:52 PM

LETHBRIDGE – A 32-year-old Lethbridge man is heading to jail, after admitting that he built and then set off an explosive device in the city.

Shaun Hlavach opted to plead guilty at the outset of the one-day trial he had scheduled for Monday morning, Sept. 24. The plea is for breaching Section 79 of the Criminal Code of Canada, which deals with the possession of explosive substances.

In an agreed statement of facts, it was revealed that the Lethbridge Police Service received two calls about a perceived gunshot around 1:12 a.m. on June 2, in the area of 17 St. and 9 Ave. South. Both callers reported hearing a loud bang but didn’t see what had happened.

Officers arrived to find small flames and a debris field of about 30 feet in an alley way. After quickly extinguishing the flames, they realized the source appeared to be an improvised explosive device, which was comprised of different types of duct tape and parts of roman candle fireworks. It was noted that there didn’t appear to be any damage to nearby structures and that the debris field consisted of pieces of tape.

An investigation led them to the basement suite of Shaun Hlavach, and after obtaining a warrant, they found various kinds of duct tape and fireworks that had been cut up to release the substances inside.

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Hlavach told police that he had created and detonated the device in the alley, with one officer noting that it was done “out of curiosity as opposed to ill intent.”

As a result of his plea, Hlavach was given a five-month jail sentence. However, after being given credit for time spent in pre-trial custody, he has just 87 days left on the sentence, which he has been permitted to serve on weekends. In addition to the time in custody, Hlavach also has one year of probation and has been prohibited from possessing weapons for the next five years.