Harassment lands man 90-day jail sentence

TWO WOMEN FORCED TO CALL POLICE

Maybe James Alfred Finch thought he had a way with the ladies, but at least two of them thought otherwise and had to call police when Finch wouldn’t leave them alone.

The 42-year-old struck up a conversation with an employee of the northside Walmart last November and things seemed to be going well. He even talked the woman into giving him her cellphone number.

Things went downhill pretty fast from there, however.

Before the woman’s shift had ended Finch texted her and asked if she was on Facebook. He continued to text her late into the night and even asked if he could call her.

The woman, who was becoming wary because of Finch’s persistent texting, told him she was getting annoyed but he kept texting anyway. She finally told him to “lose” her number, and he called her a vulgar name. He then asked if she made much money and suggested she could make some if she came to his place.

The following month the woman was taking a break from work while standing in a shelter outside Walmart when Finch walked by, noticed her, sat down beside her and again asked if she had any money. She had the feeling he was asking for sexual services.

Later the same month the woman was working at the McDonald’s restaurant in Walmart when Finch showed up, sat down and stared at her while she operated the cash register.

He continued to stare at her after she moved to another location in the restaurant, and at one point stood over her while she cleaned and asked her to come to his home.

Police were called and Finch was arrested while he was still in the store.

Finch was in Lethbridge provincial court Thursday where he pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal harassment and was sentenced to 90 days in jail.

The second charges stem from incidents a year ago when Finch contacted an exotic dancer and asked her to perform at a party. When she refused to meet him, he called her names and began repeatedly texting her. He was arrested two days later.

Finch, who court was told suffers from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, also pleaded guilty to breaching a curfew on which he was placed in May 2016 stemming from an unrelated charge of sexual assault.

He was caught at a local night club watching exotic dancers when he was supposed to be in his residence.

Finch was sentenced to 30 days for the breach charge, but it will run concurrently with his 90-day sentence for criminal harassment. He was given credit, however, for the equivalent of 90 days he already spent in custody.

He will also placed on probation for a year, during which he is prohibited from patronizing any business with exotic dancers, and from contacting the two woman he was convicted of harassing. He must take counseling for life skills and he is only allowed to use a cellphone for work.

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