Three years' prison for violent offender arrested in Edmonton with 3D-printed gun

Leading police on a foot-chase with a 3D-printed gun in his pocket has landed a man with a history of violence with three years’ prison.

Darrell Gauthier, 39, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to four charges including obstructing a police officer, breaching a recognizance, and unauthorized firearms possession – connected to his Aug. 12, 2024 arrest.

At the time, Gauthier was on release from a five-year sentence for sexual contact with a child. He was the subject of a public warning from Edmonton police, who said there were grounds to believe he would reoffend.

Gauthier on Wednesday told court he had no intention of harming anyone the day of his arrest.

“I was in the process of bettering my life at that point,” he said via video link from the Edmonton Remand Centre. “I was trying to move forward and have a better life.”

On the day of his arrest, Gauthier was with a group of people in a grassy area near Castledowns Bingo. A disagreement between Gauthier and other members of the group unfolded around 7 p.m., prompting a witness to call police.

When officers arrived, Gauthier grabbed his backpack and skateboard and walked away. When police gave chase, Gauthier ran, escaping through an opening in a fence near the bingo hall. 

Gauthier tried to flee on the skateboard but hit a gravel patch. As he continued to run, he reached for something in his pocket, and police ordered him to stop. When he failed to do so, he was tasered three times.

After Gauthier’s arrest, officers found a loaded homemade .22-calibre pistol in his pocket. The weapon had been 3D-printed and measured about 15 cm with a 1.5 cm barrel. Officers also found a small knife and a bag of what they believed to be meth.

Crown prosecutor Wendy Ekert and defence lawyer Skyler Johnson presented a three-year joint submission Wednesday. Ekert said it was aggravating that Gauthier possessed an illegal handgun while on release and subject to a weapons ban.

The Crown also faulted Ekert for his “very significant” criminal record. On June 22, 2024, months before his arrest, Edmonton police issued a statement describing Gauthier as a “convicted violent sexual offender” who was at risk of reoffending.

According to the statement, Gauthier’s record includes victimizing an “adolescent female in a sexual manner” and assaulting security officers and other victims with weapons.

Gauthier was being monitored by the police Behavioral Assessment Unit while on release.

Ekert credited Gauthier for his guilty plea. Another mitigating factor was a Gladue report detailing how Gauthier’s Métis heritage — including his grandparents’ attendance at residential schools — may have contributed to abuse he suffered as a child. He has also been diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

Johnson said his client, a drywaller by trade, has been focused on upgrading his education while in custody.

Court of King’s Bench Justice Nathan Whitling ultimately accepted the joint submission, saying it would not bring the administration of justice into “disrepute.” With credit for time in pretrial custody, Gauthier has around a year and three-quarters left to serve.

Whitling also agreed to impose a lifetime weapons ban on Gauthier. The Crown withdrew 12 additional counts, including two for allegedly assaulting two men with a skateboard.

jwakefield@postmedia.com

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@jonnywakefield.bsky.social

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