No 2nd chance at freedom
Now saddled with a dozen charges — including some that arose just five days after being granted bail last month — a Penticton man was denied a second chance at freedom Monday in provincial court.
“I am satisfied, sir, that there is a substantial likelihood that if you were to be released, that you would reoffend and that you would do it quickly,” Judge Greg Koturbash told Jason Van Raes at the conclusion of his bail hearing.
The self-represented Van Raes, 40, was described by police as a “priority offender” last month when he was first arrested on a string of charges spanning one month and much of it in the South Okanagan.
Since being rearrested, the number and seriousness of charges against Van Raes have continued to grow.
The most serious is an allegation that on Aug. 14, Van Raes broke into a home on Vancouver Avenue in Penticton and ransacked it, before being scared off when the resident returned from work.
The bail hearing heard that before fleeing, Van Raes allegedly threatened the resident with a hatchet and tried to steal his truck, all while the resident’s roommate was inside showering.
Other alleged offences recounted in court include an attempted break-and-enter at Wild Goose Winery, being caught behind the wheel of a stolen truck, being caught trying to break into a vehicle and being seen riding a stolen all-terrain vehicle.
Van Raes, who was cautioned that statements at the bail hearing could be used against him later, tried to pick apart the cases against him and also alleged mistreatment and “witness direction” by police.
He complained about having been held in jail for 15 days “on accusations that I have every intention of proving are mistaken and based on easily explainable circumstances of which the court is as yet unaware,” all while being unable to see a doctor or lawyer.
“Also, I am away from my family, my support system, my cultural and spiritual healers, and, most importantly, my children and their mothers,” continued Van Raes.
In his decision to deny bail, Koturbash noted in part the apparent strength of the Crown’s cases and the seemingly growing prevalence of property crime.
“These are very serious allegations, it is repetitive, and there’s just simply no way that I’m prepared to release you back into the community,” said the judge. “You’re detained.”
Van Raes is due back in court Sept. 12.