A Prince George man is on probation for 18 months after shoplifting $90 of goods from Buy Low Foods last fall.
Donnie James John, born in 1976, pleaded guilty on May 29 in Provincial Court to a single count of theft under $5,000. RCMP officers were called to the store at 8:20 p.m. on Oct. 7, 2004 after a man saw John conceal items and leave the store without paying. John had pilfered $89.36 worth of packaged candy, granola bars, lemonade and Kool-Aid mix.
Court heard that John has a criminal record dating back to 2001, but had an 11-year gap between offences until two thefts in 2023.
In delivering the 18-month suspended sentence, Judge David Simpkin said John, who is Indigenous, quit drinking cold turkey and wants to get back to working as a driver of road construction equipment. He said John’s 11-year gap demonstrated the possibility of rehabilitation.
