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Alberta man pleads guilty in 2016 Castlegar motel robbery case

Owner of Flamingo Motel was assaulted during the crime
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Photo: Black Press stock

An Alberta man who was facing charges related to a Castlegar robbery at the former Flamingo Motel in 2016 will be spending four years in jail.

Bradley Zehr, 35, plead guilty to robbery, forcible confinement, assault with a weapon and fraud on Jan. 12, 2022.

According to an RCMP release, shorty after 3 a.m. on Dec. 13, 2016, the motel owner was approached by suspects who previously checked into the hotel.

One of the individuals pointed a firearm (later learned to be imitation) at the owner and ordered him to the floor where his feet and hands were bound and a pillow case placed over his head.

“The suspects assaulted the owner while he was still bound and proceeded to steal money, a debit card and credit cards, which were later used to steal money and make fraudulent purchases throughout the area,” said Castlegar RCMP Sgt. Monty Taylor in a statement.

”The suspects fled and the hotel owner was eventually able to free himself and call police.”

Taylor said Castlegar officers attended the scene and collected evidence to further the investigation.

In February of 2017, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) contacted the Castlegar RCMP to inform them that they had recovered property that was stolen during the Flamingo Motel robbery.

EPS had seized the property from a man under investigation for offences that occurred in Edmonton.

Security footage seized during the Flamingo Motel robbery was sent to EPS. They confirmed the man they had recovered the stolen property from was the same as in the security footage seized during the Castlegar robbery.

The security footage and other evidence obtained identified Zehr as one of the individuals responsible for the robbery and the matter was referred to the British Columbia Prosecution for charge assessment.

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betsy.kline@castlegarnews.com

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Betsy Kline

About the Author: Betsy Kline

After spending several years as a freelance writer for the Castlegar News, Betsy joined the editorial staff as a reporter in March of 2015. In 2020, she moved into the editor's position.
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