Southern Alberta man pleads guilty to assault of peace officer charge

What was slated as a one-day trial for an 18-year-old Brooks, Alta. man on Tuesday, instead turned into a sentencing after Peyton Manyshots pleaded guilty before the judge to one count of assaulting a peace officer.

“Mr. Manyshots had weighed the options,” Steven Osmond, defense lawyer for Manyshots said.

“We’d discussed with him and we felt that a CSO was a good option for him given that it allows him to continue working and stay in the community.

“He does have a lot of family support there, and so we were happy to work out a joint submission with the Crown.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "He does have a lot of family support there, and so we were happy to work out a joint submission with the Crown."

Manyshots was first charged in Oct. 2018 with assaulting a peace officer, disarming or attempting to disarm a peace officer and obstructing a peace officer, however, after pleading guilty to the first count, the Crown decided to withdraw the other two charges.

The Crown noted the three charges all originally stemmed from an incident that occurred after a Halloween party in south Lethbridge and peace officers were attempting to break up several fights when Manyshots tackled an officer from behind before fleeing the scene. The incident was caught on camera and sparked mixed reviews from the public.

Osmond noted throughout the proceedings his client’s remorse for his actions.

“He came to me and told me what he had done. He was happy to take care of it in an amicable way with the Crown and take the consequences,” Osmond said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "He came to me and told me what he had done. He was happy to take care of it in an amicable way with the Crown and take the consequences," Osmond said.

Upon his guilty plea, Manyshots was sentenced to five months of house arrest and 40 hours community service which is to be completed by Sep. 20, 2019.

Manyshots also faces strict conditions including a curfew, no drug or alcohol use and he can’t be in possession of any weapons.