Man sentenced to federal prison
Jamie Kyle Walter Culleton pleads guilty to 14 charges
Possessing two stolen trucks, shoplifting from businesses and assaulting someone with a piece of wood while prowling on a residential property have all led to a 28-month federal prison sentence for a P.E.I. man.
Jamie Kyle Walter Culleton, 34, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Feb. 27 to six counts of theft under $5,000, three counts of possession of stolen property, assault with a weapon, prowling at night, two counts of missing court (on Nov. 22 and Dec. 7) and breaching probation. Culleton appeared by video from the Provincial Correctional Centre for sentencing.
THEFTS
With the guilty pleas in place, Crown attorney Jeff Macdonald read in court the facts related to the offences. The thefts occurred on Aug. 25 at the Sherwood Timber Mart (two batteries valued at $249.93), on Sept. 23, again at the Sherwood Timber Mart (batteries valued at $1,259.94), on Sept. 27 at Kent Building Supplies in Montague (reciprocating saws valued at $878) and on Oct. 4 at Kinlock Home Hardware in Stratford ($519.98 worth of items).
Culleton also stole $665.78 worth of items at the Atlantic Superstore at 465 University
Ave. in Charlottetown on Oct. 8 but was stopped by staff. He fled the scene, and the items in a shopping cart were recovered. The final theft was on Dec. 15 when Culleton stole a battery pack valued at $259.99 from Home Hardware on St. Peters Road in Charlottetown.
STOLEN TRUCKS
On Sept. 29 a 2010 GMC work truck with power tools inside was reported stolen from the Lower Marshfield area. A day later, Summerside police received a licence plate recognition alert that the stolen vehicle was in the city. Culleton was arrested at a family member's residence on Jennifer Street in possession of the stolen truck and the stolen power tools, said Macdonald.
Then on Oct. 9, a Charlottetown resident reported to police that his home had been broken into and his 2019 Ford truck stolen. The truck keys were taken from inside the residence. Culleton was seen on video surveillance footage driving the stolen truck into the parking lot at the Community Outreach Centre at 5:10 a.m. that morning. The truck was returned to the owner undamaged. A forensic investigation
was unable to identify a suspect in the break-in, said Macdonald.
ASSAULT WITH A WEAPON, PROWLING
Then on Dec. 20 at 1:35 a.m., Charlottetown police responded to a 911 call from a resident that he was assaulted by an unknown man with a "two-by-four" piece of wood. The complainant and his roommate had just returned from work when they saw Culleton on their property. The complainant told Culleton to get off their property and then chased him. Culleton grabbed the piece of wood and struck the other man. The chase continued to a nearby parking lot and Culleton struck the man again with the piece of wood.
Culleton was arrested and remained in custody until sentencing.
CRIMINAL RECORD, RESTITUTION
Macdonald and legal-aid lawyer Chris van Ouwerkerk presented the court with a 28-month (845 days) joint sentence recommendation for all of the offences.
Van Ouwerkerk described Culleton's case as another one where "addictions fuel criminality."
Macdonald requested that Culleton be ordered to pay restitution for the stolen items that weren't recovered. However, Macdonald also noted that those businesses getting restitution from Culleton was "fairly remote" and a "dim prospect." Culleton already owes the court $114,618.30 for past offences. Restitution payments would be credited to the earliest offences on his criminal record. Culleton had a 46-page prior criminal record.
SENTENCE
Chief Judge Jeff Lantz accepted the joint recommendation and sentenced Culleton to 845 days in prison. Lantz also ordered Culleton to pay restitution for the thefts. Culleton was granted enhanced credit of 102 days for time spent in pre-sentence custody.