A 17-year-old Lacombe girl picked the wrong time to drive by the Lacombe Police Services building about a year ago.
The girl pleaded guilty to obstruction on Tuesday in Red Deer youth court, at the start of her trial in connection with a vicious beating in a Lacombe park on July 17, 2010, that was captured on video.
The girl, now 18, can’t be identified under terms of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Crown prosecutor Dennis Huot told Judge Gordon Deck that the girl was at the park and saw the beginning of the beating in which four young men started kicking and punching a 19-year-old victim.
Huot said the girl drove away but came back and picked up the four alleged assailants.
The victim, who was smaller than his attackers, was found bleeding from the head and face by a passerby and ended up at the police station.
While talking to an officer, the victim noticed the girl’s car driving by the station so the officer gave chase and eventually stopped and arrested the alleged assailants.
The girl was slated to stand trial for robbery but the tone of the trial changed when Huot realized his victim hadn’t attended and some of the witnesses indicated earlier they were suffering memory loss or had other reasons not to recall events.
The beating, which lasted about 25 seconds, was captured on video taken by another person.
Huot said the victim lost $20, a hat and a cellphone.
The victim’s injuries weren’t long lasting, court heard in December at the sentencing of one of the four accused.
Huot said he worked out the plea agreement with defence lawyer John MacNaughton when he realized he would have problems proving the girl knew there was going to be a robbery.
The girl, who had no previous record, received a nine-month suspended sentence and must perform 100 hours of community service.
Andrew Dennis Renaud, 19, of Lacombe was jailed for 17 months for his role in that attack. He spent a few months in custody and that was taken into account in his sentence.
Renaud pleaded guilty to robbery. He had been charged with assault causing bodily harm and robbery.
Court heard at his sentencing that he intervened in the beating after about 20 seconds and that prevented further injury to the victim. The intervention mitigated his sentence.
The other three accused were committed to stand trial beginning on Dec. 5 in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench on assault causing bodily harm with intent.
Brian Travis Ward, 21, Carl Wesley Johnston, 19, and Travis James Kastrukoff, 22, all of the Lacombe area, will stand trial before a judge and jury.
jwilson@www.reddeeradvocate.com