On Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, charges against Travis Storoschuk were read in Williams Lake Provincial court for his arraignment.
However, even though his legal counsel at the time indicated his client was prepared to enter guilty pleas for the charges against him, no formal plea was entered at the time.
Storoschuk, who remains in custody, has since had court dates which indicated he has now obtained new legal counsel and has not yet entered a formal plea. The Williams Lake man will now be represented by Jordan Watt, a criminal defence lawyer from Victoria.
In a more recent court appearance in Williams Lake court on March 19, and agent for Watt and Storoschuk both appeared in a Williams Lake court room via video. The new legal representation was entered and the agent asked for time to look over the extensive disclosure documents.
Storoschuk's next court appearance has been set for April 9, 2025, with the judge expressing concern over the length of time the case had been taking.
The charges include: multiple breaches of undertakings, possessing a firearm without a licence and/or registration, storage of a firearm contrary to regulation, multiple breaches of release orders, assault causing bodily harm, assault of a police officer, wilfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer, attempting to pervert/defeat/obstruct justice, and disobeying a court order.
The case drew significant public attention after a day-long RCMP operation closed off a section of a downtown Williams Lake residential neighbourhood as RCMP attempted to bring the man back into custody.
He had been released at the time to a residence in Big Lake under conditions while awaiting his next court appearance and the incident led the city of Williams Lake to send a letter to Crown counsel regarding Storoschuk in regards to his bail hearing.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct errors regarding the entry of a guilty plea. We regret any misunderstanding regarding the proceedings.
