ATHABASCA – A man who pilfered poppy donation boxes in Athabasca and Fort Saskatchewan in late 2022, faces community service hours as part of a nine-month suspended sentence and will make a substantial donation to the Royal Canadian Legion before the end of the year.
In Athabasca Provincial Court Feb. 27, Perry Dean Chernish, 59, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft under $5,000, while three identical charges were withdrawn by Crown prosecutor Nicole Parker. Judge Joanne Heudes agreed to a joint-sentence submission from Parker and duty counsel Robert Gladu on a nine-month suspended sentence that includes probation, 40 hours of community service and will see Chernish, who RCMP previously reported has no fixed address, make a $500 donation to the Royal Canadian Legion at least a month before his probation ends. Parker noted Chernish, who declined comment before sentencing, has a “dated” criminal record with his last conviction in 1990 — no figure for the amounts stolen were read into the court record.
“I think it’s fit that it includes the charitable contribution of $500 and with the community service I think that’s appropriate. I don’t know what instigated you to do this, but I urge you to evaluate that and hopefully this is the end of that one, OK?” said Judge Heudes.
The crimes
Parker told court that Royal Canadian Legion reps reported to the Fort Saskatchewan RCMP that “multiple Remembrance Day poppy boxes” used for raising funds for the organization and veterans had been stolen Nov. 2, 2022, from locations in that community including a Tim Hortons and a McDonald’s.
RCMP went to both locations and got surveillance video and still images of a man “who can be seen on camera taking the poppy boxes, concealing them and exiting both stores.”
“(RCMP) Members recognized the male suspect as having been the same male charged in several other recent poppy box thefts in other jurisdictions,” she said.
Included as part of the Fort Saskatchewan charges, Parker said that on Nov. 7, 2022, Chernish was at the RBC bank there and while waiting in line “moved and concealed a Royal Canadian Legion poppy box” and upon completing his transaction he walked out with it.
