Man who dumped stolen water jailed

Bryce Edwin Thompson gets five-month sentence for several offences

A P.E.I. man who stole large bottles of water and dumped their contents so he could return them for the deposit was sentenced recently to five months in jail on multiple charges.

Bryce Edwin Thompson, 19, appeared before Judge John Douglas in provincial court in Charlottetown where he pleaded guilty to three counts of theft and two counts of possession of stolen property.

Thompson also pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching his probation.

Crown attorney Lisa Goulden told the court Thompson went to a Superstore on two separate occasions where he stole eight large bottles of water on the first day and 10 on the second.

Thompson took them outside and dumped the water so he could return the bottles to get the $10 deposit on each of them.

He succeeded in returning the bottles the first time but was stopped in the parking on the second day.

In a separate incident, Thompson stole two Nicoderm boxes worth a total of about $120 from a Sobeys.

Summerside police also caught Thompson with a stolen truck that had stolen tools and a credit card in it.

Before hearing his sentence, Thompson addressed the court to apologize to everyone his actions impacted.

“I’m very ashamed of my actions,” he said.

The court heard Thompson was homeless at the time, and he told the court his actions were out of desperation.

Thompson said he committed petty thefts before he “starved to death”.

He also said he was tired of being in jail, and a life of crime was not a life he wanted to lead.

Douglas said Thompson committed all of the offences in a short period of time.

He told Thompson he was going to give him a chance.

Thompson has been in custody since his arrest and Douglas gave him credit for two months of time served.

Along with the jail time, Thompson will be on probation for 18 months and must pay $153.90 in restitution for the water he poured out and the bottle deposits he received.