ATHABASCA – A local man had his conditional sentence order (CSO) suspended and will be spending the next 45 days in jail after his behaviour resulted in an early morning call to the RCMP.
In the Athabasca Court of Justice Jan. 7, Adam Gambler pleaded guilty to breaching his CSO — a type of custodial sentence that is served in a community, instead of behind bars — as part of a joint submission between his defence lawyer and Crown prosecutor Matthew Kerr.
Gambler, who was also facing an assault charge that was withdrawn as part of the plea, had voluntarily entered into an abstention condition during an Oct. 8 appearance at the Boyle courthouse, where we pleaded guilty to breaking into an unoccupied cabin in the Calling Lake area.
At the time, Gambler had been working on treatment for substance abuse issues, and the CSO was designed to help him along that path. The hope, according to Denise Lightning, the lawyer who had handled his prior sentencing, was that living in a home that didn’t permit alcohol or substances would help, but it didn’t go as planned.
On Dec. 4, at 6:45 a.m., Gambler was intoxicated at the Calling Lake residence he was living at with his parents. During a family argument, both parents became aware of his intoxication, and called the Athabasca RCMP.
Gambler was located in an abandoned shack behind the house, and was arrested without incident. One RCMP officer who knew Gambler said he was so intoxicated he could barely walk or stand, according to Kerr.
“Unfortunately, he’s had some challenges with his addictions issue; these are also again family members that are involved in this,” said Kerr. “Given he has mental health challenges, I don’t think that termination is appropriate here.
“The hope is he’ll go these 45 days, he’ll be released, finish the remaining 45 days on his CSO, and then be on his probation order with conditions for treatment. I hope this was just a bump in the road.”
