WESTLOCK – The local man at the centre of a months’ long crime spree punctuated by $6,000 worth of stolen meat, spices and tools found at his home following the Westlock Butcher Shop break-in in June, received a five-month jail sentence, 18 months of probation and will pay over $2,100 in restitution to the victims of two of his crimes.
Appearing in Westlock Provincial Court Oct. 5 via CCTV from the Edmonton Remand Centre, Travis Leo Lawrence Jean, 34, pleaded guilty to two counts each of possession of stolen property over $5,000 and failing to comply with conditions of an undertaking, plus single charges of fraud under $5,000, theft under $5,000, possession of a stolen credit card, failing to comply with the conditions of a release order and obstructing a peace officer. The remainder of the 11 charges he faced, which ranged from shopbreaking with intent, to breaching probation, were withdrawn by Crown prosecutor Robynne Thompson.
Judge Thomas Achtymichuk agreed with most of the joint sentence proposed by Thompson and defence lawyer David Keyes who asked for 110 days of jail and 18 months of non-reporting probation. The two though diverged on the possession of stolen property over $5,000 in relation to butcher shop break-in — while Thompson had asked for six months in jail on that charge alone, Keyes had argued for 30 days and Judge Achtymichuk settled on 45 days for a total sentence of 155 days in jail, time deemed served by the 105 days, credited at 1.5, Jean has served at the ERC.
In court Aug. 9, Jean’s co-accused from the break-in, Angela Melissa Wells, 44, pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property over $5,000 and received a conditional discharge from Judge Clifton Purvis, who rejected a joint-sentence submission for a $2,500 fine and declined to impose a victim-fine surcharge. In addition to 25 hours of community service work, which must be completed within the next 10 months, plus a 12-month probation order that includes a host of conditions, Wells is barred from coming within 100 metres of the butcher shop and contacting Jean, who was her former common-law partner.
“On the one hand the most you’ve received in the past for break and enter and property crimes has generally been in the range of 30 to 60 days — there hasn’t been one over 60 days. Even here, being in possession of the stolen truck, the joint sentence here is for 30 days in jail for that. So, a jump from 30 days to 180 days is not part of a fit and appropriate sentence,” said Judge Achtymichuk. “And I keep in mind that you are not being convicted of breaking and entering into the butcher shop, you’re being convicted of possessing property that was stolen from the butcher shop that amounts to $6,000.”
Judge Achtymichuk also granted restitution requests from two of the victims totalling $2,170.95 and ordered Jean to pay $900 in victim-fine surcharges by Feb. 28, 2023 — a restitution request for just over $54,000 by MUNIX Insurance for a lawn tractor, water tank, rack and utility trailer was rejected as the judge heard no evidence in relation to it.
The judge, who did note Jean’s admitted addictions issues, went on to note that he has 27 criminal convictions in the last two years, including five break and enters, and that the sentences will only continue to increase in length. Jean, as part of the probation order, has also been banned from the butcher shop and the Westlock Hotel.
“If you keep committing the same offences over and over and over, the sentences will get more strict, more harsh and longer until you get to the point that you’re convinced that it’s no longer in your interest to keep committing offences and you stop,” said Judge Achtymichuk. “These kinds of property-offence sprees effect the whole community and the people in them, and I’ve seen that in the victim-impact statements that have been filed.”
Keyes called Jean, a father of four, one of “Westlock’s walking wounded” who’s “ashamed of actions” as his life has been on a downward spiral of methamphetamine addiction after his grandfather passed away.
Keyes, who said his client has “sincere desire to get help” and has been attending a church group in jail and is working through an anger-management course, called the joint sentence and Jean’s guilty pleas an “immense taking of responsibility” and noted the Crown’s case had a host of triable issues and was a “litigation bonfire.” He said following Jean’s release from jail he has several job prospects as he’s previously worked in the oil patch as a welder.
“I have been making steps to better myself and I am deeply ashamed of the things that I have done,” said Jean via CCTV. “I realize that I need to let go of the death of my grandfather and the church in here has helped me do that and that’s been a big burden off my shoulders.”
The crimes
Thompson read out the crimes chronologically, stating that on Dec. 2, 2021, Jean was on a release order that required him to report within five days to probation. He reported on Jan. 4, 2022, and was supposed to check in eight days later, but didn’t and as of March 4, 2022, his probation officer hadn’t heard from him.
Then on Feb. 23, 2022, RCMP received a complaint from the owner of the Westlock Hotel that a number of cheques had been stolen from them. Thompson said the bank alerted the owners that Jean had tried to cash three cheques in the amount of $2,927.50 on Feb. 18, 2022 — police viewed still photos provided by the bank that showed Jean “at the front counter with the cheques belonging to the victim in his hand.”
Then on March 27, 2022, police were called to a break and enter that had occurred over night at the Westlock Hotel. A camera in the lobby had been stolen, while another had been moved and a window to the basement had been kicked in along with a door leading from the lobby to the basement. Security footage from the owner provided to police identified Jean as the culprit.
Following, on May 13, 2022, Jean was out of release and had agreed not enter the hotel, but staff saw him walk in and head up to the second floor.
Four days later, on May 17, police then got a call that a man’s backpack had been stolen from the Rotary Spirit Centre and his credit and debit cards had been used in Westlock and for online purchases — police viewed surveillance video at the local stores where Jean used the debit card.
Then on May 21, 2022, police got a call that Jean was driving a white Ford pick-up — they followed up the next day and, after an investigation, learned that the truck had been stolen from the Town of Westlock “at an unknown date and time.”
Thompson said that on June 1, 2022, police saw Jean riding a bike and was wanted on warrant. The officer rolled his window down and told him he was under arrest — Jean took off on his bike and ditched it at a house and then jumped a fence. The officer chased Jean on foot and eventually arrested him.
Only five hours after he had been released from custody on June 2, 2022, RCMP were called by a 77-year-old woman who told them her home had been broken into via her garage and about $400 in food from her freezer and various tools were missing. Video surveillance showed two men on her property, one of which was Jean.
Finally on June 23, 2022, RCMP responded to a break and enter at the Westlock Butcher Shop — Thompson said about $10,000 worth of product had been stolen. Reviewing video surveillance of the break-in, RCMP identified one of two culprits as Jean — while the detail was read into the record, Keyes noted that Jean “admits only the facts that he was in possession of the stolen property.”
“Mr. Jean had been in touch with the butcher shop days prior to the break-in inquiring about the video surveillance in the store,” added Thompson.
Following, RCMP obtained a search warrant and went to Jean’s residence where they found $6,000 worth of the remaining products from the heist.
