Prairie mud was the undoing for a St. Albert man when the stolen truck he was driving got stuck in it, leading to an eight-month jail sentence.
Mitchell Wickstrom, 22, pleaded guilty to a single count of possession of stolen property. He also was also put on probation for one year.
Wickstrom already had four months in custody, which will count against his sentence.
Police received a call about suspicious people walking through the Riel Business Park around 3:45 a.m. on April 5. Police caught up with several young people, including Wickstrom walking through the area.
They told police they had been “mud bogging” in the rodeo grounds with a pick-up truck that had become stuck. Wickstrom told police they intended to call a tow truck in the morning to get the vehicle out.
When police checked the registration information on the 2006 Dodge Ram, they discovered it had been reported stolen.
Several of the people with Wickstrom that night said he had picked them up and told them he had purchased the vehicle from an uncle.
The sentence was presented as a joint submission from the Crown and defence. Wickstrom has a lengthy and related criminal record, but both lawyers said the probationary term would give him a chance to change.
Judge Brian Fraser agreed to that, but said given his record it was hard to place him on more probation.
“To put you on probation again might fly in the face of common sense,” he said.
Fraser warned Wickstrom there would be no more chances if he ran afoul of the law again.
“I can reasonably guarantee you, you will be going to jail.”
Wickstrom’s probation will require him to abstain from alcohol and drugs and take counselling. He will also have to find a job and is not allowed to be in a vehicle unless the registered owner is present.
An Edmonton man will spend 18 months on probation for the next 18 months after stealing two rings.
Chance Justin Dunne, 26, pleaded guilty to a single count of theft for the fairly unsophisticated heist.
Dunne was at Paris Jewellers on Dec. 19, 2009 and asked to look at two rings, which the salesperson showed him. He then ran from the store with the rings, valued at $3,279.15.
Dunne did not make it far and was caught and arrested before leaving St. Albert Centre. The two rings were never recovered.
Dunne’s lawyer said his client was battling a cocaine addiction at the time, which was part of the reason for the theft.
While on probation, Dunne will have to report regularly to his probation officer, appear before the court every three months, abstain from any alcohol or drugs and take any counselling his probation officer suggests.
