The man charged in connection with a stolen FedEx delivery van last fall has been sentenced. (screenshot/Neil Headrick)

By Charlene Tebbutt

Stolen FedEx van

FedEx van thief to serve time in community, banned from driving for 3 years

Mar 28, 2019 | 12:33 PM

An 18-year-old man who stole a FedEx delivery van outside a downtown Prince Albert business last fall has been sentenced to serve time in the community.

Brandon Roy was sentenced to a 12-month conditional sentence order and a three-year driving ban in connection with the incident last November. Roy pleaded guilty in Prince Albert Provincial Court last week to dangerous driving, theft of a vehicle and evading police in relation to the incident.

The van was parked outside a business on Central Avenue around 11 a.m. on Nov. 13. Court heard last week that the driver of the FedEx van was in the back of the truck sorting packages when he felt the vehicle move. Crown Prosecutor Gail Douglas said the driver saw a man wearing a hat and bandana in the driver’s seat, and was still holding a package when he was thrown out of the van to the ground as the vehicle sped off.

An eyewitness reported seeing the FedEx van in the Hazeldell area soon after, and a Prince Albert Police officer who responded later came “nose-to-nose” with the vehicle in an alleyway, Douglas said.

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Roy ignored demands to stop the van, ramming the police car on his way back toward the city and the Diefenbaker Bridge. Police pursuing the FedEx van were told to back off due to heavy traffic and safety concerns, court heard. Roy proceeded south on Second Avenue West, running several red lights and driving in oncoming traffic at times to avoid police. At this point, the van was seen to have a flat tire, which Douglas said started sparking as Roy continued driving.

The van proceeded out of the city toward Saskatoon, reaching speeds of more than 140 kilometres per hour. RCMP then took over the chase, deciding to bump the van in an effort to get it to stop, something police said is used only in serious situations, Douglas told the court. The van slid across traffic, causing several drivers to hit the ditch to avoid a collision, and came to rest on its side.

Dash cam video from police “is chilling, to say the least,” adding it’s “a small miracle no one was hurt,” Douglas said.

Later, when an RCMP officer approached the FedEx van, Roy reached into his pocket for a cigarette.

“He casually puts the cigarette in his mouth and lights it up,” Douglas added, saying “it’s extremely fortunate that no one was killed, no one was injured.”

The Crown asked for a jail term of two and a half years in the case, but Roy’s defence lawyer suggested a conditional sentence, especially in light of the number of months Roy has spent in jail since the incident, which has been an “eye opener” for him.

Lawyer Rebecca Crookshanks said Roy grew up in foster care and has a hard time trusting authority. On the day of the incident, Crookshanks said Roy wasn’t doing well in the community, and had no place to go and no plan. She said Roy panicked after stealing the truck.

“November 13th was not a good day for Mr. Roy,” she said. “We don’t feel that further jail is going to teach Brandon something that he has not already learned.”

Crookshanks said Roy has benefitted from time spent with his mother since the incident, and has support from a volunteer chaplain who has been a positive influence in his life.

Crookshanks said Roy shows a lot of promise.

“His character doesn’t come through when you hear details of the incident,” she added. “This might be the fork in the road.”

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charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt