Heroin buyer jailed for crime spree

A Kelowna man convicted of breaking into a residence, stealing two firearms and attempting to steal a vehicle has been sentenced to more than three years in jail.

On Aug. 11, 2016, Jay David Lawrence, 41, left his mother’s East Kelowna home to buy heroin at an address on Old Vernon Road.

He said he met a drug dealer, and the man told him to follow him up the driveway.

Lawrence bought the heroin, and the dealer drove away.

An employee of a business on the property arrived and noticed the lock on the gate had been broken.

He then spotted Lawrence, who told him he was there to buy a car on the property next door.

Lawrence ran off toward some bushes and the employee, identified only as J.B., lost sight of him.

J.B. drove toward the main road, then back toward the property where he saw Lawrence inside a red SUV.

Lawrence was trying to use a key to start the SUV, the court heard.

J.B. opened the door of the SUV and saw there was a handgun next to Lawrence. J.B. testified Lawrence started reaching for the gun, so he punched him twice in the ribs and pulled him out of the vehicle.

A case of bullets fell from Lawrence’s pocket.

The owner of the property was out grocery shopping when he received a call from his cousin telling him there was an intruder in his house.

At that point, he had been away from his house for about half an hour.

Once he returned home, he saw the door to his gun locker was open and some guns were missing.

He testified the keys to his SUV had been left on a hook in the kitchen, along with the key to his gun locker.

On Feb. 7, Lawrence was found guilty of breaking and entering a home and committing theft, attempting to steal a motor vehicle, breaking and entering and stealing two handguns, possession of two handguns knowing they were obtained by an offence, possession of a prohibited or restricted handgun with readily accessible ammunition and possession of two prohibited or restricted handguns.

Crown proposed a global sentence of more than seven years, while defence argued for a sentence of six months at a residential treatment facility, followed by a period of house arrest.

Prior to sentencing, Lawrence addressed the court, saying he recognized his need for treatment, particularly because he has a four-year-old son whom he wants to retrieve from the care of the government.

In a decision posted online last week, Justice Murray Blok sentenced Lawrence to a total 40 months in jail.

With credit for time served, Lawrence had 449 days left to serve.