Break-in nets man 16-month sentence
By Shurtz, Delon on June 12, 2020.
Delon Shurtz
lethbridge herald
A southern Alberta man has received a 16-month jail sentence for breaking into a rural home south of Coaldale more than a year ago.
Jonathan Holy White Man was sentenced Thursday in Lethbridge provincial court, where he pleaded guilty to one count of housebreaking and commit theft.
Court was told the owners were away when Holy White Man and another suspect broke into the residence Jan. 6, 2019. A neighbour noticed the garage doors open, and upon inspection realized someone had broken into the home.
The garage door had been forced open, and RCMP could tell several rooms in the home had been searched and items thrown on the floor. Police took photos of footprint impressions and reviewed footage from the homeowner’s security camera, which identified the two culprits.
“Both faces were clearly seen,” Crown Prosecutor Dawn Janecke said.
Holy White Man, who was scheduled to stand trial later this month, also pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching release conditions, two counts of drug possession and one count of failing to appear in court, for which he was sentenced to another month in jail.
Janecke said Holy White Man was one of several people who were at a residence in Moses Lake near Cardston Oct. 6 of last year, when police arrived with a search warrant. He was intoxicated and high, and was arrested after police learned he was wanted on warrants. When he was searched police found two grams of methamphetamine and .5 grams of carfentanil.
Although the Crown recommended a 20-month sentence, Calgary lawyer Andre Ouellette argued for one year, and suggested had the housebreaking charge gone to trial, identification of his client would have been an issue.
He pointed out Holy White Man is remorseful and recognizes his guilt, and saved considerable trial time by pleading guilty.
Because Holy White Man has been in custody since his arrest in October, he was credited with the equivalent of nearly 16 months, leaving him with only 43 days to serve.
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