CALGARY – The man police have called a ‘person of interest’ in the mysterious disappearance of a Calgary boy and his grandparents has been granted bail.
Douglas Garland, 54, was taken into custody a week ago, when police began scouring a rural home near Airdrie in their search for five-year-old Nathan O’Brien and his grandparents, Alvin and Kathryn Liknes.
The family was reported missing on June 30th, sparking an Amber Alert.
TIMELINE: Missing Calgary family Nathan O’Brien, Alvin and Kathryn Liknes
On Friday, Garland appeared in court via CCTV for a bail hearing in connection to charges unrelated to the missing family.
It was his third court appearance this week, as he faces charges of identity theft and possession of a stolen credit card.
“He’s doing fine under the circumstances,” says defence lawyer Kim Ross. “Right now all he’s in for is the identity theft and credit card charges, and that’s all we’re dealing with now.”
During his court appearance, the Crown consented to release Garland on $750 bail. He is allowed to stay in transitional housing during release, which could include hotels or shelters.
Garland has a curfew of 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. He must not leave the province and cannot possess a passport. He told court he doesn’t have one.
“It’s a condition put on many releases, so all options are covered for anybody being released from custody in case they don’t have an address to go to,” Ross explains. “They have an option to go to transitional housing.”
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Garland is no stranger to police; he served 39-months in a Federal prison in 2000 after being convicted of drug trafficking.
Parole documents from his previous charges obtained by Global News show Garland was not believed to be a risk to the public back in 2000, despite serving months behind bars.
However, it did note concerns about his mental health leading to criminal activity in granting Garland’s day parole to a supervised facility.
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