Crime spree nets four months in jail
18-year-old had troubled upbringing that included 39 foster homes
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Friday, March 13, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A teenager who has spent time in 39 different foster homes has been sentenced to four months in custody after being convicted of a number of offences, including stealing a medical bag from a doctor that included a USB stick.
The man is now 18 years old but cannot be identified because his crimes were committed while he was 17 and still covered by the Youth Criminal Justice Act. He was sentenced by Judge Robert Gorin after pleading guilty in territorial court on Monday. Court heard that the teen was on probation when he crashed a stolen SUV into a fence on 49 Avenue on Oct. 21. Crown prosecutor Maren Zimmer said a witness called RCMP and the man was arrested at the scene of the accident. She said his two blood alcohol readings were about twice the legal limit. Zimmer said the vehicle sustained $2,500 in damages. She said the accused was released into the custody of his aunt.
Less than a month later, on Nov. 18, the man was charged with theft after he stole a necklace valued at $170 from the Gallery of the Midnight Sun. Zimmer told the court the necklace was never recovered.
The man then missed his Dec. 1 court date. On Dec. 29, the man and his girlfriend were charged with stealing a number of items from several rooms at the Coast Fraser Tower. Court heard that they were able to gain access to rooms after telling an employee they were staying there and had lost their key and later by knocking on a door and claiming they were employees and were there to clean the room. Zimmer said the man in that room reported the incident and the two suspects were identified.
On Jan. 26, Zimmer told the court the same couple entered Bruno's Pizza and stole a medical bag belonging to a doctor who was in the restaurant at the time. Included in the bag was a USB stick. It is not clear what exactly was on the stick or whether it contained confidential patient information. It is also not clear if the doctor reported the USB stick stolen to the Department of Health and Social Services. Zimmer said keys to a clinic were also in the medical bag.
Zimmer said the bag was recovered later that day underneath a nearby vehicle. She said the USB stick was recovered when police executed a search warrant at a residence the next day. Both suspects were arrested at that time and held in custody.
Defence lawyer Tracy Bock told the court his client has had a troubled upbringing. Both his parents are deceased and he has lived in almost 40 different foster homes. Bock said the man suffers from an addiction to marijuana and to a lesser extent alcohol. Bock said he stole to feed his drug habit.
The man apologized for his crimes prior to being sentenced. He told the judge he deserves whatever sentence was handed to him because he knew he broke the law.
In handing down his sentence, Gorin acknowledged the man has had a difficult life. He told him this would be the last time he would be sentenced as a youth because he is now 18 and therefore considered an adult. Gorin said he was fortunate to not have seriously injured or killed anyone in the car crash, considering his blood alcohol readings and the amount of damage done to the vehicle and the fence. He banned him from driving for 18 months. Gorin also placed the man on a year's probation and directed him to receive counselling and drug treatment.
Lydia Bardak, executive director for the John Howard Society in Yellowknife, said that the man should sue the territorial government. She called it gross negligence that he was placed in so many different foster homes.
"It's beyond tragic," she said. "It's nuts."
Bardak said she had no idea why the young man would have been placed in so many different foster homes.
The man's girlfriend remains in custody. She was an adult at the time of her alleged crimes. Yellowknifer has chosen not to identify her because it could help identify him. Her next court appearance is on March 24.
