A picture taken of Tyler Bear last November. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Court hearings

Fleeing suspect found guilty of trafficking meth and possessing prohibited gun

Dec 19, 2025 | 1:11 PM

Stating he did not believe Tyler Bear’s argument and that he had picked up the wrong bag when he fled from police, Justice Gerecke has found him guilty of possession for the purpose of trafficking as well as possession of a prohibited firearm.

The verdict was read Friday morning at Court of King’s Bench in Prince Albert and comes just over a month after the completion of a three-day trial.

The case dates back to July 2023, when Bear, who was wanted on a Canada Wide Warrant for breaching parole, was arrested in a West Flat neighbourhood.

After fleeing from a property on a BMX bike, he had tried unsuccessfully to climb a fence but was brought down by a police officer.

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Inside a backpack Bear had been carrying and tossed to the ground, officers found a loaded .22 calibre gun, ammo, 37 small bags of meth, a functioning scale and $1,690 cash. The quantities of the drugs ranged from .3 grams to 3.1 grams. There was also a black and white bandana and hygiene products.

At the trial, Bear argued he panicked and had picked up another bag that looked identical to his own.

Reading from his 46-page written decision, Justice Gerecke stated the key questions in the case were whether Bear possessed the firearm, ammunition, cash, and amphetamine knowingly; was he in possession of the methamphetamine proven for the purpose of trafficking; and third, had the crown proven that the cash was proceeds of crime.

“I do not believe his evidence about picking up the wrong black Nike pack, or his denials of knowledge of the pack’s contents,” he said.

A picture of the items seized by police. (Prince Albert Police Service)

With respect to the question of whether Bear was in possession of the drugs for the purpose of trafficking, Gerecke noted the numerous dime bags containing similar amounts of methamphetamine; the cash, the digital scale, the presence of multiple cell phones, the firearm, and the ammunition.

“The only reasonable inference to be drawn from the entirety of evidence is that Mr. Bear possessed the methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking. No reasonable inference can be drawn that he possessed it for personal use.”

Sentencing arguments have been tentatively scheduled for Feb. 13, 2026.

In addition to the drugs and gun charges, Bear who had been allegedly surveilled by police for the entirety of the day, and was reportedly involved in six flights from police the night prior, was also charged with operating a conveyance while prohibited from doing so, and operating a conveyance in a manner dangerous to the public.

Those charges were all dropped. Prosecutor Stephen Jordan told paNOW there were evidentiary issues with identity, and essentially placing Bear in the driver’s seat of the car as the driver was wearing a black mask.

In May 2020, Bear received a five-and-a-half-year sentence for over a dozen convictions related to dangerous driving, possession of stolen property exceeding $5,000, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose (bear spray), and possessing a firearm when he was prohibited from doing so.

Bear was supported in the courtroom on Friday by multiple family members.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell