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Ponoka man facing armed robbery charged denied bail

Bail has been denied for a 20-year-old Ponoka man, one of three people believed to have been involved in an armed robbery of a Red Deer Mac’s Convenience Store.

Bail has been denied for a 20-year-old Ponoka man, one of three people believed to have been involved in an armed robbery of a Red Deer Mac’s Convenience Store.

Stephen Earl Donaldson faces charges of robbery, using an imitation firearm in the commission of an offence and using a disguise with intent to commit an offence in relation to the incident.

The charges stem from a Feb. 3 armed robbery of the Mac’s Convenience Store on Gaetz near the 22nd Street intersection.

Red Deer RCMP say a man entered the store and demanded cash from the employee while holding an airsoft pellet handgun.

Donaldson was in court on Wednesday before Judge Bart Rosborough for a bail hearing.

Crown prosecutor John Baharustani opposed bail or release for Donaldson, citing the fact that at the time of the offence, Donaldson was serving an intermittent sentence for a Nov. 15, 2013, conviction for two counts of fraud under $5,000, one count of theft over $5,000 and two counts of breech of probation.

Baharustani also said there is a chance Donaldson could interfere with the Crown case through collusion with numerous witnesses.

Donaldson’s next court day is on March 11 in Red Deer provincial court. Also charged in the incident are Jordan Curtis Baron, 19, and Christian Michael Lesann, 18, both of Ponoka.