BATTLEFORD – A Lloydminster man was sentenced in Battleford Court of King’s Bench to 2,009 days – or 5.5 years – for his part in an armed car-jacking in Lloydminster and shooting on Onion Lake three years ago.
Jesse Leigh Heathen, now 36, was also handed 365 days concurrent for theft of a vehicle, 1,825 days concurrent for robbery, 430 days concurrent on another robbery charge, and 365 days concurrent for driving while being pursued.
Heathen was given 1,617 days enhanced credit for the 1,078 days he served while waiting for trial. This means he has 392 days left to serve of his 5.5-year sentence as of July 13, and will serve his time at a provincial jail instead of a federal prison.
Heathen was also given a firearms prohibition and ordered to provide his DNA to the National DNA Data Bank. On the vehicle theft charge, he was ordered to pay $10,523 in restitution. On the second robbery charge he was ordered to pay $361 in restitution. His remaining charges were withdrawn.
Heathen was arrested in July 2020, following incidents on Onion Lake Cree Nation and Lloydminster.
Onion Lake RCMP got a call at about 5 p.m. on July 29, 2020, that a man was shot on Onion Lake Cree Nation. He was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Heathen and Oakes then drove 30 kilometres south to Lloydminster and tried carjacking two vehicles at gunpoint after they had crashed their vehicle. They were able to steal a truck from an individual in their third armed carjacking attempt.
RCMP in Alberta and Saskatchewan started two pursuits but called both off due to public safety concerns. At one point the suspect vehicle drove into oncoming traffic in the westbound lanes on Hwy 16, which is a four-lane divided highway.
Approximately two hours later, officers from Maidstone RCMP got a call about a stolen truck near the junction of Hwy 16 and Hwy 303. The vehicle was located in Lloydminster later that day and Montana Horse from Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation was arrested.
Half-an-hour later, Maidstone RCMP got a report that a truck was stuck near Hillmond. No one was at the vehicle when police arrived but they soon found Heathen and Oakes walking on a nearby road.
Both Heathen and Oakes were charged with theft of a truck, robbery using a firearm, discharge of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a firearm, assault, uttering threats and flight from police. Montana Horse was charged with possession of property obtained by crime, possession of a controlled substance, and two counts of failing to comply with conditions. She was wanted by police at the time of her arrest.
In 2021 Horse was sentenced to 12-months probation.
In April 2022, Oakes was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison.
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