ATHABASCA — An Athabasca man with a history of old and new charges, cleared some of those off the list last week.
In Athabasca Provincial Court Aug. 22, defence lawyer Richard Forbes told Judge Joanne Heudes that Jason McMullen agreed to plead guilty to four different charges and two would be set over to be dealt with at trial. Three others were withdrawn by the Crown.
The Crown was seeking 210 days in custody plus a one-year driving prohibition consecutive with any current prohibitions, but Forbes said the 39-year-old journeyman scaffolder would be negatively impacted by the prohibition as he tries to get his life back on track. He asked for a total sentence of 60 days for driving while prohibited; one month for the mischief damage to the window and bars as he was “seeking shelter while it was bitterly cold” and one month each for the two breaches to be served concurrently.
Judge Heudes sentenced McMullen to 30 days and a one-year driving prohibition for driving while prohibited, 90 days for mischief damage and 30 days each for the two breaches for a global sentence of 150 days in custody.
With enhanced credit, McMullen had served 74 days as of the court date so was halfway through his sentence and two other charges will go to trial at an undetermined date.
Crown prosecutor Patricia Hankinson told Judge Heudes the first guilty plea would be for a Nov. 25, 2020, arrest after there was a report of a truck towing a car using chains.
RCMP attended and observed McMullen exit the truck from the driver’s side, unhook the car, and get back into the truck on the driver’s side all in contravention of an active driving prohibition.
He then pleaded guilty to an incident Feb. 21 of this year, when he was picked up by RCMP after he was found walking near a rural property which had damage to a window and the bars protecting it. He was seen on surveillance video and RCMP were able to match his description and shoe prints to the scene.
Finally, he pleaded guilty to two breaches of his curfew, one on April 30 and the other June 28. Police showed up both times to check in and were informed McMullen was not in attendance and searched the property but didn’t find him.
