Addiction to crystal meth led Keegan Patterson to engage in several criminal activities over the summer, including threatening to burn down the Wakamow Detox Centre.
Patterson, 33, from Moose Jaw, struggles with addictions, but has been attempting to address his problems by taking treatment, Legal Aid lawyer Suzanne Jeanson said recently in provincial court during the man’s sentencing hearing.
“He is further along in his recovery than many people are when they come before the court,” Jeanson said. “He is already on the waitlist (and) he is already connected with some resources and our hope is to allow him to continue with that.”
Patterson pleaded guilty to several charges during his sentencing hearing. These included four counts of theft, five counts of possession of stolen property, five counts of probation breaches, one count of uttering threats, and one count of possessing an illegal substance (crystal meth).
The Crown stayed several other charges.
As part of a joint submission, Patterson was fined $500 for possessing the meth, while he received 45 days in jail for uttering threats. However, since he spent nine days on remand, he was given credit for that time and will serve 32 days behind bars.
Patterson was on a release order to keep the peace and be of good behaviour when he entered the Casino Moose Jaw parking lot on Sept. 1 and stole two bicycles from the rack, one of which was recovered, explained provincial Crown prosecutor Stephen Yusuff.
When police arrested Patterson that day, they also found 1.9 grams of crystal meth on him, along with a butane torch, ammunition, and someone else’s licence, added federal Crown prosecutor Suzanne Young. The man had already acquired three charges for possession during the last 15 years when this occurred.
On Aug. 21, Patterson went to the mall to apply for a phone. While staff were busy, he grabbed a $900 cellphone and left, said Yusuff. Meanwhile, 20 days earlier, he grabbed a case of windshield washer fluid worth $20.44 from the Co-op gas bar and fled. He also stole gasoline without paying on June 6.
The man was already on probation when he went near the Wakamow Detox Centre in late July. An employee saw Patterson on the security cameras and called police.
The order to stay away from the centre occurred because of an incident on May 11, Yusuff pointed out. The centre’s director went outside and confronted Patterson, who was carrying a jerry can and said he planned to burn the building’s phone lines.
“The director told police that he had intentions to blow up the centre at the downtown location,” the Crown prosecutor added.
Police charged Patterson on June 16 after he went to the SaskTel store and attempted to have staff turn on an iPhone he had stolen. He never returned for the device while officers came and seized it.
While concerned about the threats to the detox centre, Judge Brian Hendrickson still accepted the joint submission.
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