
A Kelowna man who's facing a number of criminal charges for several incidents over the past 15 months will remain behind bars after he was denied bail Friday.
Christopher Mattatall, 36, was most recently arrested last month in Kelowna after he was allegedly found driving a stolen Lexus, but he currently faces a number of charges stemming from three other separate incidents in Kelowna dating back to November of 2023.
He appeared in provincial court on Friday seeking his release, but Judge Lynal Doerksen denied his bail, opting to keep Mattatall behind bars while he awaits possible trials.
Charges from multiple incidents
His most recent arrest came on Dec. 18, when an officer said Mattatall was spotted driving a stolen Lexus in Kelowna. After Mattatall left the car at a home on Saucier Avenue, an officer said he tried to arrest him, but Mattatall ran from police.
With the help of the police dog unit, police arrested him and found $1,125 in cash along with 23.7 grams of methamphetamine, 14.8 grams of cocaine and GHB.
He was taken to jail, where police found two .22-calibre magazines with 10 round of ammunition each tucked behind the ankle stitching of his pants, along with an empty pistol holster.
“Officers believe that during that pursuit Mr. Mattatall may have discarded that firearm,” Crown prosecutor Ranjit Randhawa told court on Friday.
“The officers return to the location where Mr. Mattatall was arrested and approximately three to five meters ... from where he was arrested, officers do find a .22-calibre pistol in in the planted area of that area.”
Mattatall has been charged with eight offences, including three firearms charges and two trafficking charges.
But prior to that incident, Mattatall had racked up a number of other charges. While police staked out a known problem house on Saucier Avenue on July 18, 2024, they saw Mattatall enter the home and then leave 10 minutes later.
Officers moved in to arrest him, as he had been wanted on another matter, when Mattatall allegedly waved at the officers and fled in a vehicle, driving through a red light to avoid apprehension. He was later seen entering a home on Cawston Avenue, where he was arrested.
But despite having successfully fled from police five months earlier, he was released on an undertaking a short time later.
He's also charged with possessing a stolen boat and trailer that had been stolen from Kelowna's Upper Mission Drive back in November 2023. When Mattatall was found in the passenger seat of a truck towing the stolen boat the following month, he fled from police on foot, but was eventually arrested.
He was released from custody though and went on to rack up the subsequent charges.
History of fleeing
Crown prosecutor Trevor Sicotte noted that Mattatall “continues to flee when he's in trouble” and has a history of failing to attend to court.
Mattatall's proposed release would have seen him be monitored with an ankle bracelet while living at a home a on Kelowna's Saucier Avenue. But Sicotte said the proposed home is just a three-minute walk from the residence that police saw Mattatall attend on July 18, which was described as “a house known to be associated with drug trafficking.”
“Even with electronic monitoring, Mr. Mattatall is able to potentially sell drugs out of that residence,” Sicotte said. “His customers just need to walk three more minutes in order to get to that residence. And nothing we do here can prevent him from continuing to sell drugs.”
A 'valiant effort'
While Doerksen commended Mattatall's lawyer for his “valiant effort” in trying to get his client bail, Doerksen said “there's no chance I'm letting Mr. Mattatall out.”
“He is like a cornered animal trying to get away from the police, doing whatever possible, including putting the police and the public in danger,” the judge said.
“And I think the public would be outraged if I let this fellow out and something were to happen.
“It is clear he is heavily involved in the drug trade and people don't sew ammunition into their pants unless there's a firearm that goes along with it. So I can't see how that can be explained away with some innocent explanation.”
None of the allegations the Crown put forth during Friday's bail hearing have been tested in court. Trial dates have yet to be set.