Last Updated Tue, 29 Jun 2004 19:26:11
CALGARY - The Alberta alderwoman who made headlines last year
when she falsely claimed she was abducted and sexually assaulted while on a trip
to Montana has been found guilty of public mischief.
A provincial court judge convicted Dar Heatherington on Tuesday. The
Lethbridge politician will be sentenced Sept. 10. Heatherington faces up to five
years in prison.
Lethbridge mayor Bob Tarleck appealed to Heatherington to step down from her
political position.Tarleck said the city solicitor is looking into barring
Heatherington from council meetings.
"I think it would be an awkward situation."
He said the city has considered using the courts to force her to resign but
municipal elections are slated for October.
Heatherington made international headlines in May 2003 when she disappeared
on a business trip to Montana. She showed up in Las Vegas three days later,
claiming to have been drugged, kidnapped and sexually assaulted.
Heatherington later recanted her tale of woe to Montana police, but
subsequently told the media she was sticking by her original version of events.
She avoided a criminal record in the U.S. by agreeing to stay out of trouble
for a year and see a psychiatrist.
Heatherington was charged with public mischief last year following an
eight-month investigation into allegations she was being stalked.
Sexually explicit letters and phone calls
The investigation into the stalking claim began when Heatherington went to
police in October 2002. She said she had received phone calls from an anonymous
man who began by complimenting her work at city hall and then started to make
comments about her body. Heatherington didn't save any of the calls.
Once she reported the calls to police, Heatherington began to receive letters
at her home. Again, at first they dealt with her abilities as a politician, but
then became sexually explicit.
Police in Lethbridge said she made it all up and charged her with public
mischief.
Police officers spotted Heatherington reading books on stalking – passages
of which turned up in the letters – and said she ignored their advice to not
run alone.
Officers also testified that they began to doubt her story when Heatherington
lied about where a letter had been delivered. They set up a surveillance camera
at Heatherington's front door, which the family knew about, and a secret camera
at the back door.
Heatherington told them one of the letters had arrived at the back door, but
the tape didn't support that.
Written by CBC News Online staff
"I found that Mrs. Heatherington was not to be trusted to tell the
truth," said Judge Peter Caffaro in his decision. He added that the Crown
had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Dar Heatherington and husband
David arrive for court. (CP photo)