Man who killed Mountie in Wolseley handed 18-year prison sentence

The man who ran over and killed a Saskatchewan Mountie in June of 2021 has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Alphonse Traverse learned his fate Thursday in Regina Court of King’s Bench. He had pleaded guilty to manslaughter in September in connection with the death of Const. Shelby Patton in Wolseley on June 12, 2021.

Traverse initially had been charged with first-degree murder, but pleaded to the lesser offence. He also pleaded guilty to theft of a motor vehicle.

The Crown had been seeking a life sentence, while the defence was recommending 16 years.

According to an agreed-upon statement of facts read in court in September, Traverse and a woman stole a truck that day in Winnipeg. They got lost south of the town of Virden, Man., and stole another truck. Then they got on the Trans-Canada Highway and headed to Saskatchewan.

Court heard the two had addictions issues with both crystal meth and gambling. Bars were closed in Manitoba at the time under COVID-19 pandemic rules, so they were heading to Saskatchewan to play VLTs.

The couple stopped in Wolseley and the owner of the truck, who had been tracking it using the vehicle’s GPS, told the RCMP where they were.

Patton pulled up behind the stolen truck in Wolseley, and dashcam video from Patton’s vehicle showed the Mountie go up to the truck and speak with Traverse.

In the video, Patton tells Traverse to get out, but Traverse starts the truck and drives off, just as Patton steps onto the running board and reaches inside to try to stop the truck from being turned on.

Patton hangs on to the fleeing truck for a few seconds, but then falls off and is run over by the truck’s back wheels. Court heard he died almost instantly after being run over.

Traverse and the woman were arrested around 90 kilometres away, near Francis.

Members of Patton’s family were in the courtroom in September as the plea and the facts of the case were read out. Patton’s mother, Melanie Patton, said it was difficult.

“Even though (Traverse) pled guilty, there is just so much trauma that’s happened to the family,” she said. “It’s very hard to bounce back from that, and we never will.”

Since her son’s death, Melanie has become an advocate for officer safety, saying there’s a crisis in the RCMP, and asking that repeat offenders be kept behind bars.

Wolseley paid tribute to the officer after his death, with people lining the streets and wearing red when his body was returned to the town. In August of 2022, a park dedicated to Patton’s memory opened in Indian Head, where he was stationed.

More to come.