"All I wanted was help"

A 40-year-old Athabasca man who was just trying “to find help ” when he went on a crime spree downtown last December was sentenced to two years behind bars.

Jordan James Prymak appeared in custody in Athabasca Provincial Court Oct. 16, and re-entered guilty pleas to two counts of property mischief, two counts of breaking and entering, one count of assault, one count of theft of a motor vehicle and one count of theft under $5,000.

Prymak had entered guilty pleas April 24, but sentencing was delayed until a psychological rehabilitation and facts assessments were conducted.

Reading from an agreed statement of facts, Crown prosecutor Heather Fraser said that on Dec. 19 around 3:30 a.m., the staff of the Athabasca Husky gas station reported a male suspect, who was later identified as Prymak, had entered the gas station where he opened a container of ice-cream, ate some and then left without paying.

He came back around 5 a.m. with his face bleeding, and ran around the store, opening about five bags of potato chips and candy while yelling at the clerk to call the police and an ambulance before leaving the store again.

After leaving the Husky, Fraser said Prymak broke into the home of an elderly couple and trailed blood around their home before he entered the bedroom. Prymak grabbed the elderly woman in her bed and asked for a hug.

The male complainant entered the room and punched Prymak in the face. Prymak then ripped the blinds off the bedroom windows and ran away.

Fraser said Prymak was under the influence of a stimulant, and pepper spray from RCMP members appeared to have no effect on him.

Prymak then broke into the ATM vestibule of the ScotiaBank on 50th Street, exited and entered the cab of a tanker stopped in the middle of the street. Prymak attempted to manipulate the vehicles controls, and police were able to handcuff one of Prymak's arms but he held the other one away.

While this was occurring, Fraser said Prymak was bleeding profusely from the hands and feet, all over the vehicle.

Prymak was then transported to the local hospital for medical attention.

The subsequent investigation revealed also Prymak damaged Subway, the Duniece Centre lobby and Ken's Confectionery during the incident.

After she read the facts, Fraser said Prymak has a criminal record including obstruction, fleeing police and recent convictions of violence. She said the Crown would be seeking two years in jail, along with a “lengthy ” period of parole.

“You have at least 10 separate individuals impacted by this man, ” she said.

She added while Prymak has said he genuinely believes he was dying, the “sheer amount of damage ” shows this is not the only explanation for his behavior.

She added Prymak showed a lack of remorse for his actions in the pre-sentence report.

Defense counsel John Kozina made his submission that Prymak is showing the right attitude by entering into drug rehabilitation programs and entering an early guilty plea.

He added Prymak continues to suffer from self-inflicted wounds from the Dec. 19 incident, adding that he was in a wheelchair for a few months. Kozina said his client also had surgery on damaged tendons in his arm, and continues to have a ringing in his ears and blurriness in his left eye.

Kozina said the night of the incident, Prymak had gone to the bar “looking to relieve stress ” and bought drugs from someone he did not know.

He continued to say Prymak was seeking relief from the stress of his wife's mother dying three years ago, his own mother dying two years ago and his brother being killed in a highway accident last year.

“That was the stress that made him seek relief, ” Kozina said.

He added after Prymak took the unknown substance, he “thought he would die ” and he “wanted help. ”

Kozina submitted Prymak should receive a sentence deemed served by his pre-trial custody since the incident. With enhanced credit, Prymak's 10 months in custody would equal 453 days in jail.

Purvis asked Prymak is he had anything to say, and Prymak stood up to read an “apology letter. ”

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare anyone, ” he read. “All I wanted was help. ”

He went on to give his account of the evening, explaining each of the incidents by way of saying he was trying to get help.

“I've never been that scared in my life, and shocked, how no one was helping me, ” he said.

He added he evaded the police officer because he had “no trust in the police, ” and he was not going to steal the truck, but simply use it to get to the hospital.

“I don't deserve this, ” he said. “I'm not a criminal. I'm a good person. ”

Purvis said the accused admittedly committed a “crime spree ” and did so while voluntarily intoxicated.

“Anyone listening to his apology can hear he is concerned on how it affects him, rather than the others, ” Purvis said.

He added a “serious aggravating factor ” was Prymak breaking into the elderly couples' home and assaulting a woman while she was in bed, and that Prymak's excuse that he was looking for help is “untrue. ”

“He wouldn't have fought with the police, ” he said. “It rings hollow and untrue. I don't accept it. ”

Purvis said he would have had no problem sentencing Prymak to three, or even four, years in jail, and Fraser was very generous in her submission.

He then sentenced Prymak to a global sentence of two years in jail, with sentences for each of the counts running concurrently to one another.

“I feel the community would not be safeguarded, ” Purvis said. “The ink was barely dry on his probation when this incident occurred. ”

Prymak was also given 12 months probation once his sentence is served.

Purvis granted Prymak 453 days of pre-trial custody at an enhanced rate, leaving 277 days in his sentence.

Prymak was also ordered to pay restitution orders to some of the affected individuals and businesses, at a total of just under $15,000.