A Driftpile Cree Nation woman will serve a two-year less one day conditional sentence after pleading guilty in Slave Lake provincial court Feb. 1 to two charges of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.
Ashlee Faye Isadore, 31, will serve her sentence in High Prairie living with a family member.
The charges arose Dec. 16, 2020, when Lakeshore Regional Police Service had a Driftpile residence under surveillance, federal Crown prosecutor Cam McCoy.
He added it was not Isadore’s residence but she was there. She got into a vehicle and drove away from the residence. Police followed her west toward High Prairie. Isadore stopped at Ruby’s Gas in Sucker Creek First Nation when police approached the vehicle. Isadore was wanted on warrants. Police noticed two large bags of cannabis in the vehicle. Isadore and a female passenger were arrested.
Police towed the vehicle to the police station, added McCoy. After securing a search warrant, police searched the vehicle and found 49.9 grams of cocaine, 40.9 grams of methamphetamine, and 193 grams of cannabis. McCoy noted the drugs were for more than personal use, but not massive.
Court heard Isadore grew up in Driftpile. Her lawyer, David Wolsey, told court her parents and grandparents attended Indian residential school. She was exposed to drugs and alcohol when she was a child and is now addicted to drugs, but working to overcome them.
“She’s been doing very well so far,” said Wolsey.
Isadore’s criminal record was submitted to court for sentencing consideration. Convictions occurred in 2011, 2019 and 2022, but none were related to drugs.
To Isadore’s benefit, recent legislation has made it possible to have a conditional sentence order for drug trafficking offences, said McCoy.
As a result, McCoy and Wolsey had a joint submission for a conditional sentence of two years less one day. Judge S.P. Hinkley agreed.
The first half of Isadore’s sentence includes house arrest while the second half includes probation with a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. The normal conditions also apply: leaving to work, medical appointments, three hours a week to buy the necessities of life, and when given written permission in advance from her sentence supervisor.
During the sentence, Isadore is not allowed to have guests in her home from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. She is required to have a landline and answer it whenever the police or her sentence supervisor calls. She is not allowed alcohol, cannabis, or controlled substances and must complete 196 hours of community service. She is also not allowed to be in a motor vehicle without the registered owner present and she must take assessment, counselling, and treatment as directed. She is not allowed to have any weapons including knives except to prepare or eat food or for work.
Finally, Judge Hinkley imposed a 10-year ban on possessing some firearms for 10 years and others for life.
All items seized were forfeited to the Crown.
McCoy withdrew unlawful possession of cannabis for the purpose of selling and failure to comply with release conditions charges.
All charges against the female passenger were withdrawn last summer.
The sentance of this career criminal whose product has terrorized society is laughable.