Resident Justin William Huber will spend the next seven months sleeping in jail after pleading guilty to charges that included theft, possession of drugs and owning a prohibited firearm.
Huber, 30, appeared in Moose Jaw Provincial Court on March 21, where he pleaded guilty to simple possession of a drug (meth), possessing stolen property from the Salvation Army, and possessing a prohibited firearm (zip gun). He also pleaded guilty to five counts of failing to appear in court and three counts of breaching previous court orders.
The Crown stayed 21 other charges.
Huber was sentenced to 210 days in jail as part of a joint submission. Since he had spent 15 days in custody, he was credited with 23 days served. This means he will serve 187 days in jail.
Huber also received a five-year ban on owning or possessing firearms and must forfeit his zip gun.
Moose Jaw police arrested Huber on the 0 block of High Street West around 11:30 p.m. on March 4 because he breached his curfew and had numerous outstanding warrants, said Crown prosecutor Rob Parker. While searching him, officers found a homemade — and prohibited — .22 zip gun, along with knives and a hatchet.
“They (zip guns) tend to be very dangerous, not only to the public, but they also tend to be quite dangerous for the person discharging them. They are unreliable and homemade, and it’s not unheard of for them to go off accidentally … ,” he continued. “They could be used to cause serious personal injury to other people.”
Police did not charge Huber with possessing the knives and hatchet since they are not prohibited weapons.
During that search, police also discovered 1.5 grams of methamphetamine on the man.
Meanwhile, on Oct. 30, 2021, police received a report about two people stealing items from the Salvation Army on High Street West, Parker said. Officers found Huber parked beside the building with boxes of material in the vehicle; some items still had price tags.
After speaking with Huber, officers confronted him about the materials, and he admitted to taking the items. The value of the stolen goods was around $200, the Crown prosecutor continued. There was no need for restitution since police recovered the items.
Possessing a prohibited or restricted firearm is a serious offence, and even people with no criminal record are sent to jail for such crimes, Parker added.
It is serious that Huber had a homemade restricted weapon in his possession, while he could have received a more severe punishment for this crime, said Legal Aid lawyer Tyne Hagey. However, he entered an early guilty plea, which works in his favour.
“He wants to do the time and then looks forward to his release,” she continued. “He does express remorse.”
Hagey asked the judge to waive the victim surcharge penalty since Huber could not pay.
Judge Brian Hendrickson accepted the joint submission, noting it is an appropriate sentence. He also agreed to waive the surcharge.
