A man who was found with stolen road signs in his vehicle will be paying more than their worth over the next several months.
Paul Anthony Traviss appeared in St. Albert court Monday and pleaded guilty to theft under $5,000 and two counts of failing to appear in court.
Court heard that on Sept. 9, 2012 around 1 a.m., St. Albert RCMP officers on patrol found a car with its lights on parked at the end of a dead end road on McKenney Avenue. Upon further inspection, they found a man and a woman in the vehicle – the man was later identified as Traviss – and a total of three road signs, two hidden behind the driver’s seat.
Crown prosecutor John Donahoe noted the signs were likely construction related, two signs reading “Next 2 km” and “No exit.”
He said the theft of the signs was a “serious crime” and sought a fine of $2,000.
Donahoe told the court Traviss has a brief and unrelated criminal record, with convictions of possession of a controlled substance, mischief and assault of a police officer.
Traviss declined to explain to the court why he stole the road signs.
“By taking away these signs, you’re not only robbing from the public – taxpayers’ dollars – you’re potentially putting people at risk,” said Judge Bruce Garriock.
Garriock handed Traviss a $1,000 fine for the theft charge and $250 each for the failures to appear.
A 26-year-old man will be off the road for at least six months following a second impaired driving related conviction in the last six years.
Willy Vandersluys appeared in court Monday and pleaded guilty to failing to provide a breath sample.
On July 27 around 8:41 p.m., St. Albert RCMP responded to a complaint of an impaired driver. The driver of the vehicle was later identified as Vandersluys. He refused to provide officers with a sample of his breath.
In 2007, Vandersluys was convicted of driving while over the legal blood alcohol limit and was given a $600 fine and a one-year driving prohibition.
Defence counsel told the court that the 26-year-old is well aware that if he drinks and drives again, he will go to jail.
Garriock handed Vandersluys a $2,000 fine, plus victim fine surcharge, and a two-year driving prohibition with a minimum of six months before he can apply to the Interlock program.
