The most serious charges were brought against four Alberta men: Christopher Lysak, 48, of Lethbridge; Anthony Olienick, 39, of Claresholm; Chris Carbert, 44, of Lethbridge; and Jerry Morin, 40, of Olds. Four lengthy applications for search warrants filed by police show that investigators believed three of them, Olienick, Carbert and Morin, had brought guns to the protest and were prepared to use them against the officers. The documents include notes and information from uniformed RCMP as well as undercover officers who infiltrated a saloon in Coutts where protesters gathered day and night. The two agents aimed to learn the hierarchy of the group. In their notes, they wrote about meeting with Olienick, one of the defendants, who was not in the leadership group but called himself “security” for the protesters. Undercover officers also reported seeing a delivery of a hockey bag, believed to be filled with weapons. “I believe the sub was gearing up for a standoff against the police,” wrote the officer who applied for one of the search warrants. “I believe Morin provided firearms to Olienik and Carbert with the intent of using those firearms to shoot and kill police officers, conspiring to commit murder against police officers,” they later wrote. The notes also show RCMP used wire taps, but what investigators heard or read have been redacted. All four men were arrested on February 13 and 14. On February 14, officers searched a house and property in Coutts and seized 15 guns, ammunition and body armor. The application also includes observations from police that the protesters appeared to have a financial committee and governance structure. They spoke to people they believed to be leaders of the protest, but those names have been redacted from court documents. The documents were sealed by a court when they were filed. Lawyers for several media outlets, including CTV News, argued in court that they be unsealed. The defendants’ lawyers supported this application.
