Coutts murder-conspiracy trial hears covert late-night shipment was underwear, guitar

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — Police suspected two COVID-19 protesters at Coutts, Alta., were set to receive a covert, late-night shipment of guns, but a courier told court Wednesday it was socks, underwear and a guitar.

Jaclyne Martin made the comment while testifying at the Court of King’s Bench trial of Anthony Olienick and Chris Carbert, who are charged with conspiring to kill police at the border blockade.

Martin said she and her partner handed off goods in a camouflage bag to Olienick and Carbert in a farmer’s field near Coutts in February 2022, just days before police made raids and arrests that ended the standoff.

“We were picking up socks and underwear, a grinder (hand-held power tool) and a guitar,” Martin told court under questioning from Olienick’s lawyer, Marilyn Burns.

“When I arrived (at the drop site), I saw a black SUV parked, still running,” she added.

“Two females (were) on the inside. The interior light was on, so I could see them. I saw Chris Carbert and Tony Olienick standing talking to the females in the SUV.”

She said she drove past them into a second field, turned her truck around, backed onto a hill with the headlights on and waited.

After the women left, Martin said, she handed most of the goods over to Olienick and Carbert.

“The guitar stayed in the truck,” she added.

Martin’s testimony is set against evidence delivered earlier in the trial by female undercover police officers who infiltrated the blockade disguised as fellow protesters.

One of those officers testified to a conversation she and her undercover partner had with Olienick in which they asked him if he needed them to pick up anything.

She said Olienick replied that he had a package coming in. When they asked if it was guns, Olienick and Carbert made eye contact with each other and didn’t deny it, the officer said. She said she took that as silent confirmation that the shipment was weapons.

Police have presented evidence that they found guns, ammunition and body armour near the blockade site. They later seized more guns along with ammunition and two pipe bombs at Olienick’s acreage.

During cross-examination by Crown prosecutor Steven Johnston, Martin said she faces criminal charges stemming from the blockade, which tied up traffic for two weeks at the busy Canada-U.S. border crossing in protest of COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates.

She said she was charged with mischief over $5,000 and possessing a weapon dangerous to the public peace.

The Crown lawyer and the witness got into a number of heated exchanges over the prosecution of Olienick and Carbert and the true story of what transpired at Coutts.

“I just think it’s senseless,” Martin said.

“You feel strongly about this prosecution?” asked Johnston.

“Of course. It’s impacting my life in a negative way,” she said.

Martin said she was asked to testify and thought it was important to offer her truth.

Johnston suggested to her there were some things she may not have been aware of at Coutts.

Martin shot back, “There’s some story that you were missing as well.”

“Is that a gotcha moment for you?” countered Johnston.

“It’s not.”

“You want to argue with me? You’re choosing to argue with me?” said Johnston.

“There are parts of the story that were missing,” she said.

Burns wrapped up her case Wednesday. Olienick did not testify.

The Crown has argued the accused were intent on killing Mounties to keep the blockade intact.

One undercover officer testified Olienick characterized police as pawns of “devil” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and told them if police tried to shut down the blockade he would “slit their throats.”

Burns has told the jury Olienick was part of a group who believed they had a responsibility to act against a totalitarian government seeking to end individual freedoms.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2024.

— By Bill Graveland in Calgary

The Canadian Press