Warning: this article contains harsh language
An 18-year-old man was granted a conditional discharge on Monday, after pleading guilty to uttering a violent threat against a police officer.
Justin Bayko was arrested on the night of August 24 after grappling with a constable of the Prince Albert Police Service. The officer was responding to a noise complaint on 28 Street East, where he learned that people were yelling and fistfighting.
When he entered a resident, he saw Bayko arguing with a woman who turned out to be his girlfriend.
Crown prosecutor Linh Le said that, upon noticing the officer, Bayko began yelling profanities and advancing in “an aggressive manner.”
She said that Bayko then grabbed the contable by the vest and tried to tackle him, but the constable managed to push him to the ground with “a strong two-handed push to Mr. Bayko’s chest.”
The two grappled on the floor, with Bayko’s girlfriend crying and trying to get him to stop, until the constable put him into handcuffs. At that point, he threatened to cut the officer.
“I’m going to slice your fucking throat when I get out,” he said, according to Le’s reading.
Judge Earl Kalenith asked Bayko if alcohol is a problem for him.
“When I get to the hard stuff, yeah,” he said. “That’s why I blacked out on that cop.”
The judge accepted Bayko’s guilty plea and followed the Crown’s sentencing recommendation, imposing a conditional discharge with a nine-month alcohol prohibition. A conditional discharge is similar to probation, except that no conviction is registered if the offender complies with the conditions.
Kalenith ordered Bayko to undergo an anger management program and to write an apology letter to the constable.
