(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

A B.C. man who was charged with attempted murder for shooting at three Vernon RCMP officers outside of Falkland has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

At the Vernon courthouse today, Jan. 18, Darwyn Allen Curtis Sellars, born 1988, pleaded guilty to discharging a prohibited firearm with intent to harm or prevent arrest – a less serious charge than attempted murder.

Scant details are known about what led up to Sellars shooting at the officers during the incident that took place between Falkland and Westwold on Dec. 2, 2019, and closed Highway 97A for several hours.

The RCMP released a statement at the time, that said a call about a suspicious vehicle in the Falkland area escalated and shots were fired as the vehicle fled police. Police later arrested Sellars and co-accused in the case, Jennifer Patricia Singleton, by using a spike belt to stop their vehicle.

Sellars appeared by video from custody and spoke only to confirm he understood which charges he was pleading guilty to.

He also pleaded guilty to failing to stop for police, dangerous driving and possession of a firearm when prohibited to do so. He was originally facing 15 charges following the incident.

Separately, Sellars also pleaded guilty to breaking into the Corbett Lake Lodge, outside of Merritt, on Dec. 2, 2019 – one day before he shot at police near Falkland.

He also pleaded guilty to a multitude of other offences that took place in Williams Lake and Abbotsford, including breaching his probation by being in a beer garden and failing to write an apology letter to an early victim, as well as driving while prohibited.

He was also facing several charges for assault with a weapon for an incident that took place in Keremeos, Nov. 29, 2019, but Crown prosecutor Laura McPheeters told the court these charges would be stayed.

Sellars lawyer, Nelson Selamaj, asked the court for a two-month adjournment before sentencing so an assessment can be done to see if Sellars has fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Singleton, the co-accused in the case, was originally charged with attempted murder but on Dec. 8, 2020, had all but one of the charges against her stayed. She pleaded guilty to being in a vehicle while knowing a prohibited firearm was also in the vehicle and received a conditional discharge and 12 months probation. If she adheres to all her probation conditions she will not have a criminal record.

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