WESTLOCK — A man currently living in Osoyoos, B.C., was spared a year in prison for his participation in two break-ins at oil sites due to the fact he is currently serving an 18-month conditional sentence order under the strict supervision of family.
Jeffrey Allan Hansen, 42, pleaded guilty at the Westlock Court of Justice on June 5 to two charges of breaking and entering with the intention to commit theft. Several other charges of mischief, possession of break-in instruments and failing to comply with release order conditions were withdrawn.
While the Crown recommended that Hansen receive six months in custody on both charges to be served consecutively, Justice John Maher took into consideration the fact that Hansen had been placed on an 18-month conditional sentence order (CSO) on May 13, 2024.
The conditions of that CSO include nine months of house arrest and another nine months of abiding by a curfew, as well as a number of conditions aimed at addressing his "significant" methamphetamine addiction.
Maher sentenced to Hansen to another six-month CSO, with conditions that were identical to the first order except that he must complete 60 hours of community service, stay at least 500 metres away from the two oil sites that he broke into and have no contact with the co-accused in his case.
Following completion of his CSO, he must also remain on probation for another 12 months and follow conditions such as keeping the peace and reporting to an assigned probation officer.
Maher also made it clear to Hansen that he would be looking at jail time if he breached the conditions of the CSO.
“You’re getting a bit of a break here. Don’t screw it up," he said.
'An unbelievable opportunity'
Crown prosecutor Brett Griefson said that on Aug. 2, 2023, a Westlock RCMP officer was called out to the site of a natural gas and oil company operating in the Westlock area at approximately 10:10 p.m. to investigate a report of a break-in.
Once at the location, the officer noticed a Winnebago motorhome that shouldn't have been at the compound. The lock at the entrance ot the site had been broken, and the officer quickly came across Hansen and another individual.
Upon arresting them, the officer looked around the site and noticed there had been substantial damage done, including a broken window at the compound and a number of trail cams that had been pulled down. Inside the Winnebago, there was essentially a pile of stolen property taken from the site, Grierson said.
Later on that evening (or early the next day), a representative of another oil company operating near the first one discovered their site had also been broken into. A representative of the second company looked inside the Winnebago and determined that some of the stolen items had been taken from their site.
Grierson noted that Hansen had a criminal record with several property crimes and breaches of court orders, though the last charge was for possession of a scheduled substance or drug in August 2021.
Grierson said the paramount principle in sentencing here was denunciation and deterrence, which is why he recommended a full year in prison for Hansen.
Hansen's defence lawyer, who noted that he knew Hansen from his membership in an Edmonton union, said his client suffered from a "profound" methamphetamine addiction that he has struggled with for seven years.
Previously, he had been employed as a crane operator in Edmonton, but had lost that job due to failing drug tests. He resorted to stealing property in order to fuel his addiction; the fact that a Winnebago was used for the break-and-enter at the oil site spoke to the "overall brazen nature of this particular offence," as a motorhome isn't exactly a stealthy vehicle.
The defence noted that Hansen has "an unbelievable opportunity" to address his meth addiction through abiding by his CSO, which requires him to stay with his uncle in Osoyoos.
His uncle, the defence indicated, is the chairman of an Alcoholics Anonymous organization and co-chair of a Narcotics Anonymous association. He runs "a very tight ship" and has taken extensive steps for Hansen to reside in a clean household.
Hansen's grandfather lives nearby, and his mother intended to temporarily move to Osoyoos.
Noting that Hansen had now been sober for 84 days.
"Since I’ve known this individual, that’s the longest he’s ever been sober," his lawyer said.
The defence finally argued that Hansen was "redeemable" and could comply with the conditions of his CSO, which would achieve far more than a year-long jail sentence.
Maher agreed that the public interest was probably better served by Hansen's rehabilitation, noting that while CSOs are viewed as "a bit of a kiss," abiding by strict house arrest was effectively the same as being in jail.
