A provincial court judge suspended the sentence of a Prince George man charged with theft under $5,000 and breaching a probation order.
Judge Peter McDermick ordered Kenneth Tyron Thomas Wiese, 37, to serve 12 months on probation.
Wiese pleaded guilty Wednesday, Feb. 19 to being in possession of a stolen bicycle on May 9, 2024.
Wiese’s lawyer, Beatrix Josephy, told McDermick that Wiese admitted the offence “on the basis of being wilfully blind.”
“When he took possession of the bike, he should have known it was stolen,” Josephy said.
Court heard that two individuals had locked their bikes outside Walmart. They returned to discover the lock was cut and bikes missing. One was an orange Kona and the other a black Giant.
Prince George RCMP reviewed store surveillance footage that showed two males leaving the area with the bikes. An officer patrolling downtown an hour after the bikes went missing found three males in the alley behind 215 George St. with bikes that matched the description. One of the males with a bike was Wiese.
Court heard that he has struggled with addiction for a decade, but has been clean and sober for three months and lives in temporary housing.
The breach charge came He was sentenced last July to a conditional discharge and 12 months probation for possession of stolen property under $5,000.
One of McDermick’s sentencing conditions is for Wiese to stay away from all Walmart locations in BC.
