Ronald Fatteicher, 60, of the RM of Calder pleaded guilty to attempted murder and several other charges after bulldozing a house with people inside in summer of 2017.

Fatteicher made the guilty plea before Yorkton Provincial Court Wednesday morning, and was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison with one-and-a-half years credit for time served.

Court reviewed that the bulldozer incident happened in July 2017 on an acreage east of Yorkton at a home owned by Fatteicher’s son. At the time, his daughter-in-law was inside the house, but was able to escape to some tall grass, where she called her husband and 911. Court heard that Fatteicher yelled obscenities at her, but was unaware she was able to get out.

After the attack, Fatteicher tried to flee the scene in a farm truck, but was stopped when the truck was hit by another vehicle driven by the victim’s husband, who dragged him out of the truck and held him down until police arrived.

According to the Crown, the whole incident stems from a family dispute, and said Fatteicher believed the property belonged to him, but it was sold in 2015.

It’s believed Fatteicher was intoxicated at the time of the incident.

The defense told the courtroom Fatteicher was under immense stress due to family problems at the time, and has struggled with alcohol throughout his life. They say he was also worried his family was trying to destroy his farm.

Judge Donna Taylor stated it’s not often a family dispute reaches this level, telling Fatteicher “this is not the way we deal with our problems.”

Before delivering the sentence, Judge Taylor said she hopes this serves as a lesson to others about what will happen if violent acts are used as a way to try and settle family disputes.

In addition to prison time, Fatteicher’s sentence also includes a 10-year prohibition from owning firearms and a one-year driving prohibition upon his release.