Lethbridge, Alta. — As the Crown's case wound down Friday in the trial of Dar Heatherington, the lawyer for the alderwoman accused of fabricating tales of being stalked wouldn't say if her client will testify.

"I'm not about to tell anybody, least of all you guys, what the defence is going to do," Tracy Hembroff told reporters outside provincial court.

When the trial — being heard by Judge Peter Caffaro without a jury — resumes Feb. 18, Crown prosecutor Photini Popadatou has said she plans to call only two more witnesses, including Lethbridge Mayor Bob Tarleck.

Ms. Heatherington, 40, is on trial on a charge of public mischief for allegedly making up stories over a six-month period that ended in early May last year when she disappeared while on council business in Great Falls, Mont.

Her disappearance sparked a frantic search and international media coverage. She was spotted outside a Las Vegas hotel three days later claiming she had been abducted and sexually assaulted.

She later recanted the abduction story and was charged with lying to police but struck a plea deal to avoid a criminal record. She was then charged in Lethbridge with public mischief — a charge that carries a maximum prison sentence of five years and will see her disbarred from council if convicted.

The trial has been a mix of lurid letters, hidden cameras, undercover cops and racy sex photos that has played out before a packed courtroom and has seen a local radio station give away bumper stickers reading: Been Dar—Done Dar and I took Dar to Vegas.

The case began in October 2002 when Heatherington went to police about receiving harassing phone calls. Next came sexually obscene letters sent to her home.

Police have testified their investigation took many turns that led them to believe Ms. Heatherington herself was the culprit.

Court has heard: