A Penticton man is swearing off his life of crime after being sentenced to jail time for a drug-induced slew of thefts in Penticton.
Shane Douglas Pope, 25, pleaded guilty to a total of nine charges, including uttering threats, drug possession, breaching curfew and bail and multiple counts of possession of stolen property.
“I’m 100 per cent done. I can’t do this anymore,” Pope told the court, appearing via video in Penticton Dec. 21.
Judge Gail Sinclair agreed.
“You can’t because you’re going to either be dead or a jail bird,” Sinclair said, earlier calling the series of events a “drug-fuelled rampage.”
Defence counsel Bob Maxwell concurred this was yet another Penticton theft spree stemming from a drug addiction.
On Oct. 24 Pope was caught by police in a Volvo station wagon which was reported stolen. Pope was arrested at the Osoyoos 7-Eleven without incident and found to be possession of multiple small bags of drugs and a meth pipe. Pope was a prohibited driver at the time and was found to be in possession of multiple items not belonging to the stolen car’s owner including an iPad, multiple sets of stolen car keys, a rolex and a stolen license plate. Pope was co-operative with police and said he had taken meth five hours earlier and the items were “from a bunch of break and enters (he) did in Penticton” days prior.
Pope was released on Oct. 25 with a $400 cash bail and a 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.
“Immediately after putting up cash bail to be released from custody, Mr. Pope breached his condition to report,” said Crown counsel Nashina Devji.
Pope failed to appear for a curfew check in what Devji called a “pattern of non-compliance,” with 10 prior breaches of recognizance on his record.
“Not only was Mr. Pope non-compliant with the conditions of his bail he was also involved in further substantive offences,” Devji said.
On Nov. 30 around 9:48 a.m. Pope was found by police in the driver’s seat of a vehicle in a parking lot on Scott Avenue. The 2007 Mercedes SUV had been reported stolen from Summerland two hours prior. Police located a backpack in the vehicle with tools consistent with those used in vehicle break-ins. An ID card was also found, and while Pope stated it was his friend’s, it had previously been reported stolen out of a vehicle earlier in November.
Pope also pleaded guilty to threatening his former roommate on March 23, saying he was “dead” and should “hide his truck.” Though Pope told the court he had since patched things up with the man he said was a longtime friend.
Pope was sentenced to one year in jail, minus 21 days for time served and 18 months probation with an 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.
Pope was convicted earlier this year of fleeing from a peace officer in a low-speed vehicle chase in February which resulted in the deployment of a spike belt on Highway 97. He was sentenced to 60 days jail for that offence in May.
