Jeff Wedge, who currently serves as the City of Thompson’s chief building inspector, attended a provincial court hearing Feb. 20 in Nelson House, where he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of assault and was subsequently sentenced to 18 months supervised probation.
The hearing took place inside the Gilbert McDonald Arena and judicial justice of the peace Alana Schiller presided over the proceedings.
According to the Crown, these charges stem from an incident that took place July 16, 2017, around 2 a.m., when an intoxicated Wedge returned to his home on Sandpiper Crescent that he shared with his then common law partner. After going to bed, Wedge woke up and went outside where he proceeded to attack his partner’s 17-year-old daughter.
When his partner tried to intervene, Wedge attacked her as well, prompting her to call the police.
Wedge was eventually arrested around 3 a.m., taken into custody and subsequently released the next day.
According to a victim impact statement, read by the Crown, Wedge’s now ex-partner describes this incident as an “unprovoked attack” that continues to cause her significant physical and emotional distress.
In that same statement, she said that she needs medication to help her sleep, requires ongoing physical therapy and is nervous about going out in public.
Wedge eventually made his own statement during Tuesday’s hearing, claiming that he completely blacked out that night/morning and doesn’t remember anything that was described in the police report.
After blacking out, the first thing he said he remembers is waking up in jail and was horrified when he learned what had transpired.
Wedge’s lawyer, Cory Phillips, theorizes that this blackout could have been the result of his client unwisely mixing alcohol with his PTSD medication.
While Wedge doesn’t have a history of violent offences, Schiller noted that he has several DUI charges on his record, which shows a clear pattern of poor decision-making when it comes to alcohol.
Ultimately, Schiller sentenced Wedge to 18 months supervised probation, where he is not allowed to have any contact with the complainants.
In terms of why this hearing was held in Nelson House as opposed to Thompson, Phillips told the Thompson Citizen that the change of venue was his idea.
Following this hearing, the Citizen reached out to representatives from the City of Thompson to ask how Wedge’s guilty plea fits into their new criminal record check policy.
The city responded by saying they that cannot comment on HR-related issues and personnel matters.
Under this new policy, which was passed during a Jan. 2 city council meeting, any current city employee is required to immediately advise their employer when he/she is charged with a criminal offence.
