Skip to content

Media fights publication ban on day three of Sagmoen trial in Vernon

The CBC and other media to challenge ban Wednesday afternoon
18485374_web1_sagmoen-sheriff-1-MAIN
Curtis Sagmoen can be seen leaving the courthouse in Vernon following Day 2 of his trial on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019. (Caitlin Clow - Vernon Morning Star)

UPDATE: 2:50 p.m.

A lawyer representing CBC will head to the Vernon courthouse Friday morning to oppose the ban in place on the voir dire.

The counsellor was retained yesterday and has requested transcripts. Justice and counsel deemed this acceptable. The trial schedule has been delayed, but counsel said it was already lagging behind.

ORIGINAL:

The trial of Curtis Sagmoen continued Wednesday at 10 a.m. with a voir dire hearing that has been barred from the public.

The voir dire was enacted on Monday and placed under a publication ban, but the CBC is currently challenging the decision to ban details of the hearing from the public.

Defence lawyer Lisa Helps told Justice Alison Beames that another unnamed media outlet has also filed an application to lift the ban.

Justice and counsel are expected to have a conference call with Marko Vesely, the lawyer representing the CBC, at 2 p.m. Wednesday before resuming the court hearing.

Sagmoen, 38, pleaded not guilty in court Monday, Sept. 9, to five charges after being accused of threatening a sex worker with a gun while wearing a mask.

RELATED: Trial starts for Curtis Sagmoen, accused of threatening sex worker with a gun

Sagmoen was arrested in the fall of 2017 in connection to his alleged crimes in late August of that year.

Shortly after his arrest, his parents’ farm was the focus of an extensive search, where police discovered the remains of Traci Genereaux, 18, who had been missing.

No charges have been laid in connection to her death.

Sagmoen has been accused in four separate incidents of threatening or assaulting sex workers.

This includes an incident in Maple Ridge back in 2013, which Sagmoen pleaded guilty to in February.

For those charges, he was sentenced to 30 days in jail followed by 24 months of probation.

— with files from Ashley Wadhwani

READ MORE: Woman, 26, charged in YVR luggage thefts

READ MORE: Police recover body of man killed in Shuswap Lake speedboat crash


Brendan Shykora
Follow us: Facebook | Twitter


Brendan Shykora

About the Author: Brendan Shykora

I started as a carrier at the age of 8. In 2019 graduated from the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University.
Read more