Curtis Sagmoen
Image Credit: Contributed
Republished February 19, 2018 - 4:39 PM
Original Publication Date February 19, 2018 - 9:36 AM
SALMON ARM - A North Okanagan man accused of crimes against multiple women will have to wait a little longer to find out if he’ll be released on bail.
Curtis Wayne Sagmoen, 37, faces numerous charges including assault and threats with a firearm involving sex trade workers that he allegedly met through the website backpage.ca. Sagmoen has been in custody since October and appeared in person today, Feb. 19, in Salmon Arm Provincial Court for a bail hearing.
This was the first time Sagmoen has attended a court appearance in person. He usually attends via video conference.
Heavily bearded and dressed in orange prison clothes, Sagmoen was escorted in and out of the courtroom, which was supervised for most of the hearing by three sheriffs. Roughly a dozen people were seated in the gallery, including reporters and others who declined to speak with the media.
Defence counsel Lisa Jean Helps appeared on behalf of Sagmoen, and lawyer Juan O’Quinn for the Crown. Due to a publication ban, none of the evidence heard at the hearing can be published. Following roughly five hours of legal submissions, Judge Mark Takahashi reserved his judgement for a future date. Lawyers are expected to fix a date this Wednesday, and may reconvene as early as next week for a decision on whether or not Sagmoen will be granted bail.
Sagmoen sought release on all the charges that are currently before the courts. Those include threatening an escort with a firearm on Aug. 27, assaulting a different woman on July 1, and assault causing bodily harm of a third woman on Aug. 10 2017. He is also accused of mischief under $5,000 for willfully placing spikes or nails on a board or spike belt to damage the tires of a motor vehicle in relation to an alleged July 19, 2017 offence.
An iNFOnews.ca exclusive report revealed yet another woman attended the area after receiving an inquiry on her backpage.ca ad. She wasn’t assaulted, but fled fearing for her life.
Sagmoen resided at 2290 Salmon River Rd., a large farm owned by his parents. The property was the subject of a massive police search in late 2017, and the location where missing Vernon teen Traci Genereaux’s remains were discovered. No charges have been laid in her suspicious death and police have not named any suspects.
None of the allegations against Sagmoen have been proven in court.
— This story was updated at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 19, 2017 to add an update from court.
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