Man to stay in custody after serving time
By Shurtz, Delon on April 11, 2020.
Delon Shurtz
lethbridge herald
A southern Alberta man will remain in custody even after he’s finished serving a jail sentence he received Wednesday.
Justin Jordan Payne was sentenced to 30 days in jail after he pleaded guilty in Lethbridge provincial court to charges of mischief causing damage and failure to comply with release conditions. Payne was given credit, however, for the equivalent of 26 days he has already spent in custody, leaving him with only four days on his sentence.
But he’s not getting out.
Payne still faces 27 charges for unrelated offences, and will remain in custody at least until he returns to court April 17. The Crown said Wednesday it is opposed to Payne’s release and will apply to revoke bail the accused was previously granted before he was re-arrested last month.
Court was told police noticed Payne, who had a suitcase and other belongings with him, standing outside a business in Coaldale at about 2 a.m. on March 17. Police offered to drive him to the homeless shelter to warm up, but Payne declined their offer. Three hours later police learned Payne was warming up inside the Stop N Go convenience store, which he had broken into, activating the business’s alarm.
When police arrived they reviewed video surveillance and saw Payne and his belongings in the store. He had kicked in a small window by the door and was hiding in a storage room when police found him.
The unrelated charges for which Payne returns to court later this month include shopbreaking, mischief causing damage, threats to cause death, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and resisting a peace officer.
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