ESTEVAN - Zachary Lewis has received a 13-month conditional sentence order (CSO), stemming from an incident that led to barricades in downtown Estevan last November.
Lewis, who was 20 at the time of the incident, was sentenced Tuesday in Estevan Provincial Court. Crown prosecutors were hoping to have the 13-month sentence served in prison, while the defence was arguing for the conditional sentence order. Judge Michelle Brass ultimately sided with the defence's request.
She reminded Lewis that a conditional sentence order is a jail sentence to be served in the community. He replied that he understands.
Lewis received 12 months for using an imitation firearm, in this instance a BB gun, while committing an indictable offence. It was noted the mandatory minimum sentence of a year in prison for that charge had been recently overturned. And he received an additional 30-day sentence for assault with a weapon.
Brass also imposed a 10-year firearms ban on Lewis, and numerous other conditions that will remain in place for the length of the CSO.
A trial was held for Lewis in May. The judge presiding over the case adjourned the matter to July 7 for a decision. That decision was then pushed back to July 17, when Lewis was convicted.
Lewis was charged following an incident on Nov. 4, 2022. The 1200 blocks of Fourth Street and Fifth Street in Estevan were closed and barricaded for a time while police responded.
Next week's edition of the Mercury will have more on this story.
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