By Taylor MacPherson

Stolen car leads to 60-day sentence

Sep 6, 2017 | 1:57 PM

A Pelican Narrows man caught in possession of a stolen car won’t be needing transportation for the next two months after he was handed jail time yesterday.

Dawson Raymond Michel, 24, pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of stolen property in connection with an auto theft during the early morning hours of Aug. 31. Crown Prosecutor Gail Douglas said the owner left his car running outside his 28th St. apartment for just a couple of minutes while he charged the battery. He left the 1998 Toyota Corolla unattended to lock his apartment door, she said, and the vehicle was gone when he returned.

An officer quickly spotted the vehicle behind the Giant Tiger location on 32nd St. W. with Michel behind the wheel, Douglas said, but when Michel spotted police he took off and drove quickly through a very rough lot in an attempt to flee. Douglas said after his brief attempt to escape failed, Michel pulled into a parking lot behind a nearby hotel and climbed into the back seat where he was arrested.

Douglas said the Crown wanted a four-month sentence but defence lawyer Rebecca Crookshanks pushed for a lighter 30-day incarceration.

Crookshanks said Michel was not involved in the theft personally and came into possession of the car after an associate asked him to use it to pick up a few friends. Michel had consumed “a few beers” before driving, she said, and panicked when he saw the police.

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“Theft of motor vehicles in this community is a serious issue,” Judge Steven Schiefner said, adding that he found it unlikely Michel would be unaware the car was stolen.

Schiefner sentenced Michel to 60 days in custody and cautioned the young man that he could expect punishments to become “more and more severe” if he continues to come into conflict with the law.

Taylor.macpherson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TMacPhersonNews