Southern Alberta Newspapers
TABER
Sentencing in the Internet sex case of the former chairman of the Taber police commission, Curtis David Paradee, has been set for April in Taber provincial court.
Paradee, 43, pleaded guilty last week to charges of accessing child pornography and luring a child under the age of 18. The balance of seven other charges against Paradee, including making, possessing and distributing child pornography, had been withdrawn by the Crown upon Paradee's entering a guilty plea.
Crown prosecutor Brad Stephenson consented Tuesday to the adjournment for sentencing on behalf of Nadine Nesbitt, a prosecutor with the technology and Internet crime section of special prosecutions. Paradee was represented in court by his attorney, Doug Carle.
During Paradee's Jan. 31 court appearance, a pre-sentence report and psychological risk assessment were ordered by Judge D.G. Redman. Sentencing on April 13 is expected to take a full day.
In a statement to the media last week, Carle indicated the Crown and defence were currently "at loggerheads" over a fitting sentence for the accused, while stating he would be seeking a conditional sentence to be served in the community for his client.
Paradee had been accused of initiating an online relationship with an underage girl in New York, with offences alleged to have occurred between July and October of 2010.
A Taber businessman and volunteer, Paradee had been with the town's police commission for five years and had served as chairman for the four months prior to his arrest in May 2011. He has since resigned his position.