Sentencing delayed for Vulcan man
MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO NUMEROUS CHARGES
A 55-year-old Vulcan man will have to wait a month to learn if he will be sent to jail or allowed to serve his sentence in his home.
The Crown wants Ronald Noel Quirion jailed for just over six months for numerous criminal charges, while his lawyer is seeking a conditional sentence that would allow him to serve his time under house arrest.
“Mr. Quirion has made every attempt to turn his life around,” Lethbridge lawyer Bill Wister said Monday in Lethbridge provincial court.
Quirion had previously pleaded guilty to charges of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of stolen property for the purpose of trafficking, possession of stolen property, break and enter, failing to appear in court and breaching release conditions. Monday the Crown and defence presented their arguments for sentencing, but Judge Paul Pharo reserved his decision until Nov. 23, citing the “complicated” nature of the case.
Crown prosecutor Erin Olsen told court Quirion was seen about 3 a.m. Sept. 5, 2016 trying to sell stolen items, including jewelry, a camera, a belt buckle and laptop computer, to people at Lethbridge Casino. After he was arrested and released, he failed to attend court to deal with the charges.
Later the same month, police received a report that someone had stolen a motor vehicle along with a cheque written for $821 that had been left inside. Following up on a report three weeks later that someone was using drugs in a vehicle parked on the westside, police found both Quirion and the cheque.
A month later Quirion stole a wallet from a jacket and used a credit card from the wallet 12 times over two days to buy goods in Vulcan and Calgary. During four of the transactions he was caught on video surveillance.
In November Quirion broke into Earl’s Restaurant in Lethbridge where police nabbed him with jewelry, cash, gift cards and items customers had left behind. He had also drunk 26 ounces of vodka and made himself a sandwich. Quirion lied to police and told them he had permission to be at the restaurant.
Quirion was also caught by an employee inside Quest Support Services. Quirion claimed he was looking for his truck, but he had stolen two hard drives worth $1,000 each, two monitors worth $250 each, and another monitor worth $4,000.
While dealing with him a few days later on an unrelated matter, Quirion confessed to police he had broken into the business and directed them to the location of the stolen goods.
While out on bail, during which he was under court-ordered conditions not to consume alcohol or drugs, police found him impaired by drugs and passed out in a vehicle. He was slumped over the steering wheel, drooling and disoriented, and he couldn’t even take off his own jacket. He was also in possession of methamphetamine.
In addition to the provincial charges, federal Crown prosecutor Jeremy DeBow told court Quirion was also in a vehicle stopped by police Aug. 7 of last year in which they found 750 grams of cannabis marijuana.
Olsen pointed out Quirion’s lengthy criminal record and said a pre-sentence report indicates he blames others for his actions and his drug problems. And even though most of the offences to which he pleaded guilty occurred a year ago, Olsen said he still deserves to go to jail.
Olsen said a conditional sentence is inappropriate given the nature of the offences and Quirion’s failure to comply with past court orders.
Wister, on the other hand, said his client, who suffers from post traumatic stress syndrome and psychological problems, is not a hard-core criminal and committed only crimes of opportunity that were not well thought out. Wister also said Quirion is helping care for his 78-year-old mother.
He said Quirion’s sentence could be served under house arrest in Vulcan, where he is “a respected member of that community.”
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