WESTLOCK – A man accused of shooting out windows of parked vehicles in Westlock last year has been denied bail in Westlock Court of Justice on March 5.
A bail hearing for Dustin Tyler Moes, 38, started in Westlock court on Feb. 12 and was adjourned for a month.
Crown prosecutor Eric Mosley had opposed Moes’s release. Justice G. A. Rice, who appeared in Westlock court virtually from the St. Paul court, denied Moes bail on the grounds that his detention is necessary for the protection or safety of the public.
Last month when the bail hearing started, Mosley had asked the court for a ban on publication of the evidence, which Justice Rice granted.
Moes and his co-accused 22-year-old Tristen Laroche have pleaded not guilty and want a jury trial in Court of King’s Bench with a preliminary hearing in Westlock provincial court in June.
They were arrested following several incidents in August 2024.
On Aug. 25, Athabasca RCMP attempted to stop a blue Dodge truck, but the driver fled, hitting a police vehicle. The pursuit ended in a wheat field, where two suspects fled on foot but were later arrested. Police say they found a firearm, stolen items linked to a vehicle break-in, another firearm, ammunition, and methamphetamine.
The stolen items were connected to a theft and a home break-in near Pibroch on Aug. 24, where a firearm was used to shoot out a vehicle window. Both incidents involved a blue Dodge truck, according to police.
On Aug. 25 Westlock RCMP investigated two reports of parked vehicles with windows shot out, with one victim seeing a blue Dodge truck in the area.
Moes and Laroche both face nine weapons-related offences, two counts of recklessly discharging a firearm, obstruction, dangerous driving, theft of a vehicle, and break and enter. Moes is additionally charged with four counts of mischief, theft under $5,000, flight from police, and assault of a police officer. Laroche is additionally charged with two counts of breach of probation and three counts of mischief.
Laroche hasn’t had a bail hearing and remains in custody since August 2024.
