A man arrested with a loaded shotgun in his trunk in Langley while awaiting trial for drug possession will serve about 10 more months in prison, a Campbell River judge has ruled.
Preston Hale Jaramillo was sentenced on Sept. 16 after he pleaded guilty to three counts of trafficking a controlled substance and one of possession of a firearm without a license or registration.
Jaramillo had been arrested in December of 2019 after selling drugs to undercover officers in November and December several times.
When arrested on Dec. 17, 2019, he had four cell phones, a folding knife, and a red aluminum tube with three grams of crack cocaine inside.
Jaramillo was released from custody, and awaiting his next court appearance, when he turned up in Langley on Feb. 4, 2020. Jaramillo was arrested for violating his conditions of release.
“The police searched the vehicle and found a sport bag in the trunk with a shotgun with a cut off stock and 19 shotgun shells,” Judge Catherine Crockett wrote in her sentencing ruling. “It was loaded with a shell in the chamber and four shells in the magazine.”
She noted that Jaramillo’s fingerprints were found on the gun.
READ ALSO: 73-year-old Chilliwack woman gets jail time in fatal hit and run case from 2016
The accused was released on Feb. 10, this time to a drug treatment facility.
He left without permission on March 19, and after another arrest in May, spent a month in jail before being admitted to, and then leaving, another recovery centre. He would leave that centre twice more without permission, and was arrested for the multiple bail breaches in November.
After being sent to a secure drug treatment facility, he was kicked out for failing a drug test in May this year, and was immediately arrested. He has been awaiting trial in custody since then.
His previous record includes four assaults, assault with a weapon, and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
As of his sentencing hearing, Jaramillo had been in prison for almost a year already, at 352 days in custody.
Crockett imposed a sentence of 729 days for the drug charges, but gave him time-and-a-half credit for his time awaiting trial, leaving him with a sentence of 201 days.
In addition, she sentenced him to 90 days for the loaded shotgun.
“I consider this to be a lenient sentence,” Crockett said.
Finally, she gave him 21 more days for the various breaches of his bail conditions, leaving him with a total of 312 days left on his sentence.
Jaramillo is also banned from owning any firearm, crossbow, ammunition, or explosive substance for 10 years after his release from prison.
Have a story tip? Email: matthew.claxton@langleyadvancetimes.com
