Court upholds farm search warrant evidence in Curtis Sagmoen trial

A B.C. Supreme Court judge has ruled that search warrant evidence can be used against a man accused of threatening a sex trade worker with a shotgun.

The lawyer defending Curtis Sagmoen at his trial in Vernon, B.C., had applied to have the evidence declared inadmissible, arguing that police filled it with rumour and speculation designed to mislead the judge.

Justice Alison Beames acknowledged that while there were minor errors in the search warrant application, there was also ample evidence to support the granting of the warrant.

The warrant, issued in September 2017, allowed police to search the Sagmoen family property south of Salmon Arm, B.C.

Sagmoen is facing five charges, including uttering threats and disguising his face with intent to commit a crime.

Some of the details of the trial were revealed in the preliminary ruling.

It's alleged Sagmoen responded to a companion ad on the Backpage website in August 2017, texting the woman to arrange a two- to three-hour "play date."

The woman drove to a quiet area near the Sagmoen farm, where she says a masked man holding a rifle approached her, saying, "I'll shoot you."

The woman says she jumped out of her car and her shoes fell off as she escaped. She made her way to a highway where a witness phoned police to report a bare-footed, hitchhiking female who looked "out of it."

The woman was taken to hospital. A Sagmoen neighbour later reported hearing a gunshot that night, and RCMP found the woman's car with one of the front tires deflated by a gun blast.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

A subsequent search of the Sagmoen farm turned up the remains of missing 18-year-old Traci Genereaux. Police continue to investigate her death and no charges have been laid.