A 29-year-old man with a lengthy criminal record who pleaded guilty to possessing a stolen truck and bicycle was sentenced to more than seven months in jail and a year on probation.
In Prince George Provincial Court on Wednesday, Jan. 22, Judge Martin Nadon sentenced Kyler Gregory Thomas Stevens to 815 days on nine counts. Stevens, however, qualified for credit for time served, so his net sentence amounts to 237 days.
Crown prosecutor Kristina King called it “significantly mitigating” that Stevens also pleaded guilty to wilfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer and five counts of breaching a release order.
“Wrapping up a significant number of files and saving significant court resources,” King told the court. “But that's the only mitigating feature that I'm able to point to.”
King showed the judge a 15-page list of convictions, spanning 2009 to 2022, including 45 for breaches or failures to comply with court orders.
Court heard that Stevens stole a Chevrolet Silverado truck on June 17, 2022. A Prince George RCMP officer found him at a gas station, but Stevens dropped the hose and nozzle and fled in the vehicle, nearly colliding with a police cruiser. Police curtailed their chase due to danger. Stevens later crashed into a vehicle in a construction zone. He gave a false name when officers eventually found him.
Stevens was released on a court order that he stay at a recovery house in Surrey, but was expelled for relapsing twice. He cut off his electronic monitoring device and did not report to a probation officer as required. While staying at his father’s house in Prince George, Stevens also removed his ankle monitor.
On July 28, 2024, a man reported that his $3,500 mountain bike had been stolen from his backyard. The complainant called police when he spotted his bike outside a liquor store on Sept. 11, 2024.
Stevens fled after an officer told him he was under arrest. A foot chase ensued and an officer eventually grabbed Stevens’s camouflage hoodie and pulled him off the bike. An anonymous bystander intervened to assist the officer in gaining control of Stevens, who possessed a large knife, five grams of cocaine and five grams of fentanyl, contrary to court orders.
“Mr. Stevens has had this lifelong struggle with addictions and lack of opportunity, lack of stability, lack of housing,” explained his lawyer, Jason LeBlond.
LeBlond called his client’s background “very troubled.” The Metis man’s father was not a part of his life. His mother has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and spent time in jail.
“Mr. Stevens moved around between different group homes and did not have the best exposure to any positive role models,” LeBlond said.
Stevens has a Grade 9 education and has worked sporadically for construction and delivery companies, but has struggled with drug addiction.
Nadon also banned Stevens from driving for three years and he can only possess a bicycle with proof of ownership registered by police. Stevens must pay almost $3,500 in restitution to owners of vehicles he damaged, to compensate for their out-of-pocket expenses.
