The king of Westside Outlaws street gang was handed 412 days in prison for weapons-related offences.
Terrance Stonechild, 33, appeared in Lloydminster Provincial Court July 7 by CCTV from Saskatoon Correctional Centre.
Crown Prosecutor Oryn Holm told the court that the RCMP SWAT team was called in to help arrest Stonechild.
On Dec. 8, 2020, staff from the Paradise Hill bar were “shook up” and called Turtleford RCMP after Stonechild and five others came into the bar asking what time the bar closed and how many people were working.
One of the bar staff recognized Stonechild as a Westside Outlaws street gang member. When police arrived at the bar they knew Stonechild was a member of the Westside Outlaws and called in additional RCMP officers to assist.
The bar staff told police that Stonechild and the others left in a dirty mini-van with no tail or headlights. Police patrolled the area and the van was spotted on Highway 3 but fled. The van was spotted on Highway 797 near Onion Lake Cree Nation.
Holm told the court that an officer had to pull over to the side of the road to avoid missing the van as it was driving straight towards him. The officer pursued the van and the driver eventually pulled over but when he saw all of the RCMP he fled once again. The RCMP terminated the pursuit and over the next hour police weren’t able to locate the van.
At about 7:30 p.m. Onion Lake Security spotted the van and alerted the RCMP who put down spike belts nearby. The van drove over the spike belts. It blew the tires but the van kept driving before eventually stopping on Highway 17. Six people were seen fleeing the van and running into the woods. Police saw one person flee with a gun so they secured the scene and called for assistance from surrounding RCMP detachments, the SWAT team, police dogs and fire and rescue.
About an hour later Stonechild came out of the woods and he was arrested without incident.
Inside the van police found a 12-gauge shotgun and a sawed-off .22 rifle on either side of where Stonechild was sitting in the middle of the van. The weapons weren’t loaded but ammunition was in the van. Police also found a machete, a small sword, and a backpack with methamphetamine.
Holm told the court that when Stonechild was arrested in December 2020, he was on probation and 24-hour curfew after finishing a five-month jail sentence for organized crime charges.
Holm said Stonechild admitted that he was the king of Westside Outlaws street gang.
When Stonechild was arrested on Onion Lake in December 2020, he was banished from the Nation at the time. He is one of 32 people banished from Onion Lake Cree Nation as the community combats illegal drug and gang activity. OLCN declared a state of emergency in January 2020 after a string of gang-related violence and drug activity.
Holm asked the court for a two-year prison sentence and said that Stonechild’s 90 previous criminal convictions is an aggravating factor.
He said for mitigating factors Stonechild has Gladue factors and a traumatic background to consider.
Defence Tim Nolan said Stonechild is a member of the Onion Lake Cree Nation and both of his parents attended residential school. As he was growing up he was in foster homes in Edmonton, spent time with his father in Saskatoon and time in North Battleford.
Judge B.D. Henning said firearms-related offences and Stonechild’s gang affiliation are serious.
“If you end up in court again you will be looking at substantial penitentiary time,” cautioned Judge Henning.
