A man who pawned $20,000 of his mother's jewelry was sentenced to six months in jail this week.
Ira Zachary Brook, 33, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of theft over $5,000, one count of mischief and a host of charges from an Edmonton shoplifting incident.
Brook's brother called 911 on Feb. 11, reporting Brook was refusing to leave their parents' home.
When officers arrived at the house Brook was outside. His father was asking him for pawn slips, which Brook managed to provide.
The officers learned Brook had been staying with his parents for several months.
Their son was attempting to beat a cocaine addiction and had been making progress prior to this incident.
His parents had been vacationing, but came home early after calling home and talking to a stranger who was inside their house.
They also called their other son and asked him to check on the house.
The house was littered with garbage and there was considerable damage to the carpet, including burn marks.
There were also signs of crack cocaine use including blackened spoons, which are often used to heat the drug.
Some $20,00 worth of jewelry was also missing, most of the woman's collection.
Crown Prosecutor Terry Hoffman said the collection had been built over the length of the couple's marriage and only some of it had been relocated in the pawnshops where it was sold.
Edmonton offence
Edmonton police arrested Brook again on March 28 after he was caught shoplifting at the Zellers in the Northgate Shopping Centre.
A loss prevention officer saw Brook enter the grocery department and put several food items in his jacket before walking out.
The officer confronted him after he left the store and Brook attempted to run away. He pushed the officer and struggled past another store employee. An off-duty provincial sheriff finally caught up with him and tackled him to the ground.
Brook struggled with all three people who tried to stop him. His defence lawyer said he did not mean to harm anyone, but conceded his efforts did constitute an assault.
Judge Jeanne Burch gave Brook double credit for the 45 days he spent in jail for a total of three months giving him an additional three months left to serve.
