The ‘bush man’ who was caught sleeping in a Fort Langley home under construction last fall has been sentenced to 28 months jail for that crime.
He was originally charged with break and enter, but was sentenced on the lesser charge of being in a dwelling without lawful excuse.
Matthew Ostrander, 29, was arrested in November 2015, after he was found hiding in the crawl space of the unfinished home. A passerby called 911 saying the man inside the home was the same wanted man Langley RCMP had issued a media alert about a few weeks prior. At that time, police had issued an arrest warrant for Ostrander and said he may be living in the bushes near Fort Langley. He had last been seen on the Houston Trail, located west of the village. He had experience living in the bush, said police.
Within minutes of getting the call about Ostrander, officers responded and surrounded the home. Police dogs and the ERT cleared the residence and located Ostrander hiding in the crawl space. He was arrested without incident.
During the arrest several items were located in Ostrander’s possession leading investigators to an unreported break-in that had occurred overnight at a nearby home.
Ostrander faced charges of a B&E in Duncan, breach of probation in Quinte West, Ont., possession of a firearm and careless use of a firearm in Belleville, Ont. from Oct. 12, 2012, among other charges.
