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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A Yellowknife man who broke into a Franklin Avenue business and stole a cash register drawer of money was sentenced to 12 months in jail Wednesday in territorial court.

Eric Wardell, 44, pleaded guilty to breaking into Head Gear, a business on Franklin Avenue. The crime was committed on May 20. He also removed a cash register drawer with close to $500 in it, but he did not face a theft charge in court Wednesday.

Wardell, who appeared in the Yellowknife Courthouse in an orange sweatshirt, jeans and sock feet, has a lengthy criminal record including 57 convictions, many of them break and enters and property offences.

In the early morning of May 20, the alarm sounded at Head Gear. RCMP received a phone call from someone who reported seeing a suspicious man in jeans and a black jacket between Hilltop Apartments and the Vietnamese Noodle House. When two RCMP officers arrived at the scene, they discovered the cash drawer. One officer stayed with the cash drawer, which had some money strewn around it, while the other officer went searching for the culprit. The Mountie soon found him in a cab near the apartment building, where he was then arrested.

Wardell had a torn $5 bill and loose change in his pockets, according to the facts read in court Wednesday. The cab driver handed the RCMP officer a sealed bag of quarters. Close to $100 was recovered in total. The whereabouts of the rest of the money remains a mystery.

Wardell's left index finger was cut and bleeding and there was blood found on the cash drawer. At Head Gear, there was also blood found on the exit door.

The cost of repairing two doors at the business and the cash register, as well as the money that was not recovered came to $1,659.76, according to Crown prosecutor Jacqueline Porter.

The Crown asked that Wardell be sentenced to 12 to 14 months behind bars as well as $1,659.76 paid for repairs. Wardell's lawyer, Jay Bran, requested a sentence of eight to 10 months plus probation.

Wardell stood up to address the court Wednesday. With a sigh, he said he admitted his life has been "pretty hectic." He said his family is not very happy with him - his siblings live in Saskatchewan while his father lives in British Columbia.

"I do have remorse," he said. "I do look at my life and I don't say, 'This is good.' What I've done, this is very stupid, to go into someone's business and cause $1,600 of damage for that they work for so hard."

Wardell said through tears that if he focused on it, he could give back, be a productive member of society and live a normal life.

"I know I have to build up trust in the community and be responsible for my actions," said Wardell.

"I want to say sorry to the owners of Head Gear. They work hard and are only trying to make a living."

Judge Christine Gagnon said the sentence must fit the offender as well as the offence, but Wardell's criminal record cannot be ignored. She ordered him to serve 12 months in jail, followed by 12 months probation.

Wardell had already spent about five months in jail since his arrest on May 20, and Gagnon said she would give him a little more than one-for-one for each day of incarceration. That leaves him with six months left in jail. He will need to pay the $1,659.76 in restitution to Head Gear.

Gagnon said the probation will focus on programs and counselling for Wardell to "get some structure" in his life.

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