A man from Tramping Lake stood trial in Kindersley provincial court this week, arguing the RCMP violated his Charter rights during his arrest.
Curtis Skinner, 43, represented himself at the Aug. 26 trial after making a plea of not guilty to dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, impaired operation, and refusal to comply with a breath demand.
The charges stem from an incident on Aug. 30, 2024, in Kerrobert.
Skinner testified he had travelled to the community with his dog and planned to stay overnight at the Motel 6. After dinner, he entered the motel’s lounge and began speaking with a man playing a video lottery terminal. He admitted to pressing the machine’s buttons before another man confronted him.
Skinner told the court he was punched in the face and knocked to the ground, then attacked by a second man. He said he ran to his truck to escape, but drove into a retaining wall separating the motel and a residence. His truck became stuck, and he left the vehicle with his dog.
The alleged assault was never reported to police by Skinner, and Motel 6 did not provide video surveillance of the incident or of the truck.
RCMP said they received two separate 911 calls that evening, one from a motel employee who reported a man who had been drinking drove away in a truck, and another from a resident who said a truck had become lodged on a retaining wall.
Constables Sohm and St. Mitchel of the Kindersley detachment testified they arrived to find a white truck balanced on the wall above a private yard. Sohm told the court he noticed a strong odour of alcohol on Skinner and saw an open beer can in the vehicle’s console. Concerned that the truck could shift, he said he released the dog from inside to reduce the weight.
The officers testified they confirmed Skinner matched the description provided by 911 callers, then arrested him for impaired driving. St. Mitchel said she read Skinner his rights and made a demand for a breath sample.