ATHABSCA – An area man previously banned from driving but caught in a stolen truck in early January, flaunted his release conditions throughout 2022 and was repeatedly stopped by RCMP behind the wheel without insurance, received jail time and will pay more than $12,000 in fines and restitution.
Appearing in In Athabasca Provincial Court Feb. 27 via CCTV from the Edmonton Remand Centre, Robert William Lysohirka pleaded guilty to two counts each of failing to comply with release order conditions and driving while disqualified, along with single charges of possession of stolen property over $5,000 and driving without insurance. Additional charges of flight from police, operating an unregistered motor vehicle, driving without insurance and failing to stop for a peace officer were withdrawn by Crown prosecutor Nicole Parker.
Judge Joanne Heudes agreed to a joint-sentence submission from Parker and defence lawyer Richard Forbes that includes 90 days in jail, plus $6,750 in fines to be paid by Aug. 31 — the 50 days Lysohirka’s already served was credited at one-to-1.5 leaving him 15 days behind bars.
Judge Heudes also ordered Lysohirka to pay $6,716.70 in restitution to an insurance company for the damage done to the stolen truck he was caught in — Forbes had contested the restitution order.
“They estimated their loss to be just over $9,000, but they are only asking for their towing expense and the actual cash value of the vehicle. I think it’s only appropriate that you compensate them for that through a restitution order,” said Judge Heudes.
“Thank you,” said Lysohirka, before returning to his cell at the ERC.
The crimes
Parker told court that just after midnight Jan. 5, 2023, Athabasca RCMP were following two vehicles they believed were stolen.
She said that police engaged their emergency lights and tried to stop a black Ford F150 pickup truck that had been heading south on a range road and “the black truck drove around the police vehicle and it fled northbound.”
At the the scene, RCMP were able to stop a second vehicle “that was also stolen” and arrested Chazie Kristen Young, who currently faces a single charge of possession of stolen property over $5,000.
Parker said that Young told police that Lysohirka had been the driver of the F150 and he had driven her to the site of the second stolen vehicle “where she got in and drove around following Lysohirka for about an hour before police attempted to stop them.”
Parker said that following that arrest they went to Lysohirka’s residence and he did not show up at the door — in court, Lysohirka said he’s been in custody since Jan. 8.
Court heard that on June 8, 2022, Lysohirka signed a release order that included curfew and during RCMP checks at 10:40 p.m. and 11:40 p.m. Dec. 22, 2022, he was not at home — the homeowner told police Lysohirka had “not been there for a long time.”
Finally, Parker told court that on Sept. 1, 2022, Lysohirka was operating a motor vehicle near Athabasca without insurance and had been previously suspended from driving.
