An Edmonton man will spend the next seven months under lock and key after committing a hit and run using a stolen taxi.
Mitchell S. Wickstrom appeared in St. Albert court on Monday via CCTV from the Edmonton Remand Centre and pleaded guilty to theft under $5,000, breach of probation and failure to attend court.
Court heard on April 19, 2010 a vehicle was struck from behind by a taxi at approximately 6 a.m. in St. Albert. When the cab didn’t stop, the complainant followed the vehicle into the Lacombe Park neighbourhood.
Provincial crown prosecutor Douglas Taylor explained to the court the cab eventually stopped and two men – one of whom was later identified as Wickstrom – fled the scene by running into Lacombe Lake Park. Witnesses reported the pair hiding in the backyard of a home on Lester Crescent; after a short pursuit the duo was arrested by St. Albert RCMP.
One of Wickstrom’s accomplices told RCMP they were drinking that night and found the cab in Forest Lawn.
Taylor read to the court the most recent entries onto Wickstrom’s more than two page criminal record, including theft over $5,000 for which he was on probation. In September 2012, Wickstrom spent 45 days in jail for breach of probation and possession of a controlled substance.
The 23-year-old man, who was born in Saskatoon and raised in Edmonton, also missed his trial date in 2012 to face the charges.
Judge Bruce Garriock handed Wickstrom a total sentence of 12 months in prison, five of which he has already served.
A St. Albert man who breached the conditions of his undertaking three times in the last six months received his punishment on Monday.
David Michael Hodgson pleaded guilty to failure to comply with his undertaking, specifically to abstain from alcohol.
Court heard on Feb. 6, St. Albert RCMP picked up Hodgson at the Sturgeon Community Hospital around 10:30 p.m. Hodgson had been taken to the hospital in an ambulance after a fall but was belligerent towards EMS and hospital staff.
Officers found Hodgson walking outside the hospital without any shoes. They noted signs of intoxication – an odour of alcohol on his breath, slurred speech and unsteadiness walking.
Hodgson was bound by an undertaking stemming from an incident in January where he obstructed a peace officer. He was also arrested in September 2012 for disobeying an undertaking.
Provincial crown prosecutor Douglas Taylor indicated from Hodgson’s two-page criminal record that the most common penalty he has received for disobeying his undertaking has been a fine.
“This behaviour will not be condoned,” said Garriock. “It’s happened three times in the recent past, I don’t feel a fine will deter you.”
Garriock sentenced Hodgson to 10 days in jail to be served intermittently so he can continue to look for a job and attend alcohol abuse counselling. Hodgson will turn himself in at the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre on Friday. Since he was in pre-sentence custody for two days, he has eight days left to serve.
A man who faced 10 charges in St. Albert court Monday will get his sentence later this summer.
Shivneel Kumar pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property, driving over the legal limit and breaching his probation.
Court heard on Sept. 9, 2012 a driver – later identified as Kumar – hit a parked vehicle and attempted to flee the scene at approximately 3:35 a.m. Kumar provided breath samples to RCMP, reading 260 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood – more than three times the legal blood alcohol limit of 80.
At the time Kumar was under an 18-month probation stemming from a conviction of theft. One of the conditions of the order prohibited Kumar from drinking alcohol and using other intoxicating substances.
Kumar will be sentenced in a St. Albert courtroom on July 8. A presentence report has been issued and the remaining charges were withdrawn.
