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Pre-trial conference slated for Sagmoen’s cop assault charge

Defence lawyer estimates a 5-day trial will be sufficient
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Protesters made their presence felt outside the Vernon courthouse Thursday, while inside an arraignment hearing for Curtis Sagmoen’s latest assault charge was pushed to March 4, 2021. (Brendan Shykora - Morning Star)

A pre-trial conference has been set for Curtis Wayne Sagmoen on June 10 in Kelowna, by video.

Sagmoen is facing a single charge of assaulting a police officer stemming from an Oct. 29 search warrant execution at his parent’s Salmon River Road property.

Earlier that month, police visited the farm after an alert of suspicious activity. At that time, RCMP released a photo of Sagmoen — who is notorious for crimes against sex trade workers — and issued a warning in the interest of public safety.

In a call April 22, Sagmoen’s lawyer, Lisa Helps estimated a five-day trial after noting she sent a detailed charter notice to the Crown.

No plea has been entered at this time.

Sagmoen has a history of assault against women working in the sex industry.

He was found guilty for disguising himself and threatening a sex trade worker with a shotgun Dec. 20, 2019, but was given time served and 36 months probation.

Two months later, he was found guilty for hitting a different woman in the industry with an ATV so hard her shoes flew off in an Aug. 10, 2017, incident.

Sagmoen had also pleaded guilty to an unrelated assault involving a hammer and a sex worker in Maple Ridge in 2013.

He was sentenced to five months jail time on June 19, 2020, but was again credited with time served and walked free with 36 months of probation.

His probation order bans him from drug and alcohol use, accessing websites advertising escort or dating services, having more than one cellphone number and leaving the province without permission from his bail supervisor.

Sagmoen is ordered to reside at his family property on Salmon River Road as per his probation and has a 10-year weapons ban.

The 10-hectare family farm became the subject of an extensive police search Oct. 19, 2017, and the remains of missing 18-year-old Traci Genereaux were found.

Although her death was deemed suspicious, no charges have been laid.

At the time five women – Caitlin Potts, Ashley Simpson, Deanna Wertz, Genereaux and Nicole Bell – were missing from the North Okanagan area.

READ MORE: Sagmoen to stand trial in Vernon for cop assault

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@caitleerach
Caitlin.clow@vernonmorningstar.com

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