Husband-and-wife team to be sentenced without co-convicted millionaire

Retired city police officer Steve Walton and his wife, Heather, will be sentenced without co-convicted Calgary millionaire Ken Carter. 

The three were convicted of corruption-related offences last October for their roles in stalking Carter's ex-girlfriend, Akele Taylor, in an effort to make her give up custody of their daughter.

Carter paid the Walton's unlicensed private investigation firm roughly $1 million for their work. In turn, the Waltons used their connections to access Calgary Police Service resources.

Carter was convicted of criminal harassment.

Steve Walton was found guilty of that charge as well as charges of bribing an officer and improper use of a firearm.

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Heather Walton — a former civilian employee for the police service — was convicted of bribing an officer and on the firearm charge. Jurors were unable to decide whether she was guilty of criminal harassment, so a mistrial was declared on that charge.

The bribery charges relate to paying police officers to access and share information from internal CPS databases on Taylor and her friends.

The firearm charge stems from the execution of a search warrant on the Waltons' home, where police found guns that were improperly stored.

A Canada-wide warrant was issued for Carter in July after he failed to appear for multiple sentencing dates.

His lawyer, Gavin Wolch, says Carter is in Russia suffering from an illness that has rendered him unable to travel. Wolch won't reveal the nature of the illness in court.

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Wolch expects an update on Carter's medical condition and fitness to travel by the end of the month.

The Waltons will be sentenced Oct. 30.

Prosecutors have expressed concern over the veracity of Carter's medical situation. They say they've filed a notice of application for "absconding" but are still considering whether to move forward with that.