Victim’s Internet search for suspect raises doubt in home invasion case
A man charged in connection with a home invasion northwest of Prince Albert earlier this year has been found not guilty after a provincial court judge found the homeowner’s use of the Internet may have influenced her testimony in the case.
Jade Ermine, 29, was on trial last week at Prince Albert Provincial Court in connection with the incident, which happened in January at a rural home in the R.M. of Shellbrook. An 82-year-old woman was awoken around 3 a.m. when her home alarm was triggered.
The woman became emotional while testifying in court last week and said that a man broke into her home, shone a flashlight in her face and shoved her before taking off with her purse and vehicle keys. The woman described the man as tall and thin and said he was wearing a hoodie over his head.
The woman testified she later went onto the Internet, on what was described in court as a local “crime watch website” and searched for pictures of some of the suspects identified through the ensuing police investigation. The exact name of the website was not made clear in court.