Travis Storoschuk will appear in Williams Lake court remotely on Friday, Jan. 10 for a bail hearing.
Storoschuk, who is in custody in Kamloops, and his lawyer Jeff Maxwell, were both in court via video on Monday, Jan. 6, in order for Maxwell to clarify with his client whether Storoschuk would want to appear for his bail hearing in person or remotely on Friday.
Maxwell asked the sheriff to provide details for Storoschuk on what his options would be for appearing in person or remotely for the hearing, in which Storoschuk is applying to be released on bail.
The sheriff laid out different possibilities, noting due to the hearing being scheduled for a Friday, it would be a bit more challenging for Storoschuk to appear in person. This would require Storoschuk to be escorted by sheriffs up to Williams Lake and then held overnight in the Williams Lake RCMP detachment, which the Williams Lake RCMP would have to agree to. Returning to the facility in Kamloops would also be a challenge, as sheriffs would have to return Storoschuk before the cut-off to accept him back into the facility, as they will not offer intake after 7 p.m.
A prisoner transfer taking place on Wednesday with other prisoners, would require Storoschuk to spend two nights prior to his appearance in custody in Williams Lake at the RCMP detachment. Williams Lake RCMP would have to agree to holding Storoschuk for the two nights prior to his appearance.
After hearing his options, Storoschuk said he will appear remotely once again.
"It's extremely physically hard on my body," he told the court of the transfer. He said the discomfort of the Williams Lake facility and already struggling with the physical challenges of being in custody where he is meant he would not want to endure the journey back to Williams Lake.
He said he did not want to have to go through all of the "physical trauma" again, after having appeared in Williams Lake court in person in December.
"I'm sort of at your mercy," he told the judge.
His choice to appear remotely was approved and court also agreed to recognize all of the outstanding warrants on Storoschuk's files as having been executed.
Storoschuk thanked the judge, as the session ended. He is expected to next appear in the Williams Lake court remotely on Jan. 10 for the bail hearing.
While in most bail hearings the Crown has to show why an accused person should be held in custody prior to a trial, in Storoschuk's case, it is reverse onus. This means Storoschuk and his lawyer have to successfully convince the court why he should be released. Storoschuk is facing a number of charges, including multiple breaches of undertaking or release orders, firearms offences, assault, assault of a peace officer causing bodily harm, and wilfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer.
Storoschuk has been in custody since mid-November, after RCMP operations at his previous residence on Western Avenue in Williams Lake. While the initial operations to apprehend Storoschuk for breach of conditions on a prior release were not successful, police did take him into custody in the following days.
