A young man who repeatedly violated his probation order and seemed to show disdain for the entire process narrowly escaped jail time Monday.
Judge Bruce Garriock chose a fine over the suggestion of jail time the Crown prosecutor was advocating for, but also made it clear to the 18-year-old boy that he was treading on thin ice.
The young man was convicted of theft in February of this year and put on a 10-month probationary term.
While he initially reported to his probation officer, he soon stopped making his scheduled appointments and ignored several appointments for counselling.
In one appointment that he did attend, he became verbally aggressive, challenging the probation officer.
Since the probation officer told him he was going to breach the order, the young man had changed his attitude and had started attending meetings and counselling sessions.
Garriock told the young man the probation order was meant to help him and ignoring it did more than simply put him at risk of further charges.
“You are cutting off the lifeline that is being put in place to help you get your life in order.”
The young man apologized to the court and pleaded not to be sent to jail.
“This breach has put me in a deeper hole than I was already in and I would rather get out than dig deeper.”
Garriock relented to the young’s man pleas and handed the young man a $400 fine, while also making it clear there would be no more second chances.
A 25-year-old man caught drinking and cycling when he shouldn’t have been drinking was ordered to pay up in St. Albert Provincial Court Monday.
David Justin Mann pleaded guilty to a single count of failing to comply with a probation order and was fined $400, as well as a victim surcharge.
Police received multiple calls about Mann, who was on a bicycle coming south on St. Albert Trail near Green Grove Drive on Aug. 4.
Drivers reported he was intoxicated, swerving and consistently falling off his bike.
When the RCMP arrived, they found he had cut both his knees and wrists from falling and was extremely intoxicated.
While he could not be charged with impaired driving, Mann was on probation at the time with a requirement that he not consume any alcohol.
During sentencing, Mann apologized to the court and said he was getting a handle on his alcohol abuse.
Judge Bruce Garriock settled on the fine after both sides argued it would be appropriate.
