60 days for involvement in junkyard thefts

A man involved in thefts from a local junkyard in Medicine Hat was handed a 60-day sentence Wednesday at the Medicine Hat courthouse.

Jason Lee Roberts, 34, pled guilty to multiple charges, some stemming from an incident where a company reported to police that a cargo trailer had been stolen from its fenced-in compound in June.

Police eventually located the trailer parked in front of a residence, and observed Roberts and another man removing items from the trailer and placing them at the residence. In total, $7,000 in items, including motor bikes, a generator, black tubing and more were a part of the stolen items.

When the owner of the resident was questioned by police, he said he did not know the items were stolen and began handing back the various items. The co-accused told police he and Roberts had broken into the yard and stole the trailer and items, while Roberts said while he had committed a break and enter, he had taken only some of the items and was not involved in the trailer theft at all, and another man was.

Originally charged with shopbreaking, Roberts pled down to the lesser charge of theft under $5,000 and possessing property obtained by crime.

Roberts also pled guilty to one count of trafficking in credit cards, after he used another person’s credit card on two occasions to purchase from a local business a total of $735 in advertising for his tattoo shop.

Roberts also pled guilty to three counts of failing to appear in court.

Roberts was sentenced to 60 days in total as part of a joint submission between Crown and defence, and given 39 days credit due to time already served in custody.

The judge granted a request by defence counsel that Roberts be allowed to serve the remaining of his time intermittently, three days a week.