A man being sentenced for another in a long string of thefts asked the judge to give him stricter probation conditions so he could stay on the right track.
Troy Ty Lee Opie, 23, pleaded guilty to theft for an incident at the Akinsdale 7-Eleven in early October and was sentenced to a 60-day jail sentence as well as 18 months probation.
Police received a call on Oct. 5 about two men who had come into the convenience store, grabbed a collection of merchandise and then ran out.
Armed with a description of the two men from store clerks, the RCMP went out in search. They found him nearby.
Opie told the court he had been dealing with a drug addiction and had done well during previous probation. He had been on probation when the theft occurred and said it helped him deal with addiction issues.
He pleaded with the judge for more probation time, possibly with stricter conditions to help him resolve his outstanding problems.
The 60-day sentence Judge Bruce Garriock handed down will mean an additional 33 days in jail for Opie who has been in jail since his arrest.
When Garriock started reading the conditions he was imposing for the 18-month probationary term — which include a requirement that abstain from alcohol and drugs, as well as take any counselling recommended for him — Opie asked the judge to also consider placing him on a curfew.
“There is no reason why I should be out late,” Opie told the court.
Garriock agreed with the suggestion and imposed a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., seven days a week.
A dispute between a man and his girlfriend landed one young man with 12 months of probation.
Mark William Deacon pleaded guilty to a single count of assault for the incident, which happened on July 26 at about 3 a.m.
Deacon drove to his girlfriend’s apartment and texted her, asking her to come down to his car and talk. The conversation quickly became an argument and Deacon twice slapped the young woman.
He then went around to the passenger door and dragged her out of the vehicle before pushing her as she walked away.
Deacon has no criminal record and the court agreed to the suspended sentence in part because of that.
He will be on probation for the next year with a condition that he abstain from drinking, take any counselling he is directed to and report regularly to a probation officer.
A man caught stealing a simple chocolate bar was handed a 30-day jail sentence after pleading guilty this week.
Nathan Staheli entered a guilty plea to the simple charge of theft and, due to his lengthy and related criminal record, was sentenced to the jail term.
Staheli was spotted putting the chocolate bar into his pants pocket on Oct. 23 at the Zeller’s store in St. Albert Centre before attempting to walk out the door.
The store’s loss prevention officer spotted and held him until police arrived.
Staheli was credited for the nine days he had already spent in custody.
