Man loses business, family after getting hooked on meth

KITCHENER — Brent Talbot had a pretty good life.

He ran his own landscaping business in Buckhorn Lake near Peterborough and had a comfortable life with his wife and daughter.

Then he tried crystal meth and got hooked.

His wife was also on drugs and their 22-year-old marriage fell apart and their six-year-old daughter was taken from them and adopted.

“His life spiralled out of control,” said his lawyer Tom Brock.

Three months ago, he overdosed on meth laced with fentanyl and it took three shots of naloxone to revive him.

Talbot has lost 10 friends to fentanyl overdoses, Brock said.

Today, Talbot is in jail and on Friday Justice Michael Epstein sentenced him to 11 months in jail and two years probation after a string of vehicle thefts and break and enters in November.

Talbot, 43, began experimenting with meth in 2014 and soon became an addict. His first brush with the law was three years ago.

The Kitchener man was charged in connection with a series of break and enters and the theft of vehicles in Waterloo Region and spent time in jail.

Then in 2017, he was arrested again for similar offences.

Talbot pleaded guilty to a string of car theft charges and break and enters.

He also had outstanding charges in Stratford.

Talbot was credited for 54 days in jail and sentenced to the equivalent of 81 days.

His lawyer asked for a ninemonth sentence, but Epstein said that was inadequate.

Crown prosecutor Katie Krafchick asked Epstein to consider a 14-month sentence.

She said that Talbot’s record was “short and sweet and not forgiving.” Charges in 2017 were identical to those three years ago when he was sentenced to 12 months and 18 months probation.