By Angela Brown

AMBER ALERT

Man charged in Amber Alert to spend two years in prison

Feb 20, 2019 | 2:06 PM

A provincial court judge has sentenced Johnathan Gunville to 31 months in prison for stealing an SUV with a six-year-old girl inside in September 2018, triggering an Amber Alert.

Gunville received 230 days credit for time spent in remand, leaving him two years less a day to serve.

The girl, who lives with autism, epilepsy and is non-verbal, was using a tablet in the back of a running Mercedes Benz outside of a strip mall in North Battleford when Gunville, wanting to go on a joy ride, took the vehicle. Fourteen hours later, she was found unharmed inside the vehicle, which was abandoned in an industrial park.

Gunville, who turns 20 today, appeared in person in provincial court Wednesday afternoon. He previously pleaded guilty to several charges stemming from the night, including theft of a vehicle and abandoning a child.

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Judge Bruce Bauer cited the fact Gunville knew the child was still in the backseat of the Mercedes Benz when he abandoned it and was endangering her life, alongside his prior convictions, which include multiple vehicle thefts, as factors in his decision.

The Crown withdrew the remaining charges of abduction and unlawful confinement related to the incident.

Bauer recommended he complete addictions programing, see a psychiatrist and serve time at the Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford.

Gunville also received three years probation and a five-year driving ban.

His defence lawyer Bill Archer told the court Gunville has a desire to get better. Archer had recommended an 18-month to two-year sentence in a provincial corrections facility. At a prior court hearing, he suggested Gunville be sent to the Saskatchewan Hospital’s secure unit. Gunville suffers from cognitive issues, according to Archer, and didn’t see the girl inside the SUV when he stole it.

Outside of court, Archer said the entire ordeal was “a sad case.”

“There were two kids inside the car that day,” he said. “He is a six or eight-year-old trapped in a 20-year-old body.”

Crown Prosecutor Lee Hnatiuk recommended Gunville serve three years in custody at a federal penitentiary, citing public safety.

While remanded at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre, Gunville assaulted two inmates in separate incidents.

Hnatiuk said following court the conditions Gunville is facing will hopefully help him in the future to rehabilitate himself.

“I think the conditions were meant to guide the rehabilitation efforts and connect Mr. Gunville with the supports in the community that will help with that,” Hnatiuk added.

— With files from Tyler Marr

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW