Thief hopes for more jail time and gets it
Convicted in relation to a string of vehicle break-ins last year, Justin Chipman says he’s been getting drug treatment at HMP and wants to continue
Justin Chipman got his wish Wednesday — more jail time.
Sentencing him on 29 charges related to a string of vehicle break-ins, among other crimes, that happened in the St. John’s area last fall, Judge Mike Madden accepted a joint submission from the Crown and defence lawyers. He gave Chipman a 960-day prison term, minus 354 days of remand credit, meaning Chipman has just over a year and a half left to serve behind bars.
That’s what Chipman wanted, having told the court he had been receiving treatment for an opioid addiction in Her Majesty’s Penitentiary (HMP) and wanted to continue, and describing himself as feeling the best he has in years.
Chipman, 34, pleaded guilty to charges of possessing stolen credit cards, fraud, vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, flight from police, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, damage to property, trespassing at night, resisting arrest and breaching court orders, related to incidents that happened in the metro area between June and October of last year.
Most of the crimes were similar: smashed vehicle windows, stolen credit and debit cards, and gas station purchases of cigarettes using the cards’ tap feature, with Chipman identified in surveillance video as the one using the cards. In a couple of cases, a vehicle was stolen. In two others, purses were taken from inside people’s homes after their doors were left unlocked.
There were two incidents where Chipman tried to evade police by leading them on a high-speed chase.
One complainant, whose credit card Chipman used to buy cigarettes after it was stolen from the locked console of his truck in the Fluvarium parking lot, presented a victim impact statement to the court and a request for restitution in the amount of $1,230 for cash that was also stolen from the truck, the insurance deductible for his smashed window and the documented devaluation of the truck as a result of vandalism. Madden made an order for Chipman to pay the man restitution.
In addition to jail time, the judge sentenced Chipman, who has a 30-page criminal record, to a period of probation with mandatory counselling, among other conditions. Madden noted Chipman had put people’s property rights as well as their safety into jeopardy.
“That sort of behaviour is extremely irresponsible and the general public has a right to expect the court to impose sentences that will reduce the number of individuals like Mr. Chipman, who believe that fleeing the police at a high speed on the city streets is an option to avoid arrest,” he said.
Chipman’s history of breaking into vehicles is well known to police, who set up a sting operation to catch the thief responsible for smashing into cars on Memorial University’s St. John’s campus seven years ago. Chipman was driving a stolen SUV on Feb. 18, 2014, when police witnessed him breaking the window of a parked car and stealing a laptop and camera. Chipman tried to escape in the vehicle, but it became stuck in a snowbank. As he spun the tires, an RNC officer fired a shot through the driver’s window, grazing Chipman’s chest and elbow.
Chipman was later convicted of dangerous driving, theft and possession of stolen property, but was acquitted of assaulting a police officer after a judge ruled police had used unjustified force against him and had breached his rights. An independent investigation determined a year later that the officer had acted appropriately.
Chipman filed a civil suit against the RNC in 2016 and it was settled out of court.