SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A 24-year-old Yellowknife man was ordered to serve one additional day in jail last week and has to pay back the $1,000 bill a hotel received from the fire department for a false alarm in September after he pulled the fire alarm while drunk.

The offender pleaded guilty to the charges of causing a disturbance and causing a false alarm on Oct. 5 in territorial court.

Crown prosecutor Marc Lecorre told territorial court that on Sept. 20 the man was kicked out of a hotel room at Capital Suites by its occupants and became upset. After banging his hands and his head against a door, he smeared blood from his cut hands all over it, then ran down the hall and pulled the fire alarm.

RCMP officers responding to a call about a disturbance entered the hotel around 11:45 p.m. just before the fire alarm was activated, and shortly after they caught the offender intoxicated and fleeing the building.

All of the hotel's occupants had to evacuate the building; it was raining and the temperature was 2 C.

Two fire trucks and an ambulance responded to the false alarm. The hotel received a bill from the fire department for $1,000 for the prank.

"You're too old to be pulling the fire alarm," Judge Bernadette E. Schmaltz told the offender during sentencing. "You're not in junior high anymore."

She added the fire alarm was a "huge waste" of resources given the number of personnel that responded and the fact it cost the hotel $1,000.

Lecorre requested a sentence of between two to four months and that the man pay the hotel restitution in the amount of $1,000. He also recommended one year of probation.

Defence lawyer Dan Rideout told the court his client is battling alcohol and drug addiction issues.

He said the defence accepted that jail was going to be part of the sentence, and requested time served plus the restitution - Schmaltz ordered him to spend one more day in jail, for a total of 30. The offender had been in custody since Sept. 21.

The man told the court "everything he (Rideout) said sounds good." He added he was sorry for pulling the fire alarm.

"When I get released, I'm going to try to do better.

I'm sick of being in jail," he said.

He was also sentenced to 12 months probation during which time he's to keep the peace and be of good behaviour. Schmaltz also ordered the man to attend Alcoholics Anonymous at least once a week during his probation period and provide proof of his attendance to his probation officer.

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