ATHABASCA – An area man with a criminal record spanning three decades who unsuccessfully tried to steal a wallet and got into a shoving match with the victim back in the late summer of 2019, received a short jail sentence.
Appearing in Athabasca Provincial Court Jan. 23 via CCTV from the Edmonton Remand Centre, Sheldon Edward Young, 47, pleaded guilty to theft under $5,000 and assault and received a 25-day jail sentence from Judge Thomas Achtymichuk, time deemed served as Crown prosecutor Nicole Parker noted “he’s accumulated 25 days enhanced.”
“There’s been no crimes of violence in a quite significant number of years, so when I take into account the seriousness of the offence, it was a push, and the theft under for the wallet, I think this meets the public-interest test and I will accept the joint submission” said Judge Achtymichuk, who then waived $200 in victim-fine surcharges.
Young, whose criminal record spans from 1993 to the present and included 43 convictions primarily for properly offences, admitted that he’s been “a dumb ass” and apologized for the crime. While thumbing through Young’s lengthy record, Judge Achtymichuk noted a two-year jail sentence in 2015 followed by a further six-month jail sentence he received the following year.
“I’ve had two minor heart attacks, two minor strokes and I’ve only got one leg, so physically I’m not moving around like I used to back in the day … I’m 47 years old and I’m done with all the negativity, let’s just put it that way, that I’ve been into for the last how many years,” Young told court, noting he’s finally clean of drugs. “I want to say sorry for what happened in Athabasca that day. I’ve been trying to deal with this for the last two years now, but I’ve been in hospital twice … I just want to put in the past.”
Parker told court that on Aug. 29, 2019, Athabasca RCMP were called after a man spotted Young rummaging through his pickup truck. The victim went outside and confronted Young, who had taken his wallet from inside the vehicle. Following, Young pushed the man, before he was subdued and eventually arrested by RCMP.
