A Calgary man with no previous criminal record will cool his jets in jail for a few more weeks after leading police on a pursuit that started in Edmonton and ended in Red Deer.
Currently in custody at Red Deer Remand Centre, Shawn Drummond, 23, pleaded guilty to one count each of flight from police and possession of a stolen vehicle worth less than $5,000 in Red Deer provincial court on Wednesday.
Reciting facts for Judge John Holmes, Crown prosecutor Andrew Shatto said Drummond’s troubles started when Edmonton police attempted to pull over a small car with two men inside at the Kingsway Mall just after 7 p.m. on July 7.
The car sped off with police vehicles in pursuit, and a helicopter was called in to assist. A call to the car’s owners confirmed that it had been stolen, said Shatto.
Edmonton police cars backed off their pursuit when the car headed south on Hwy 2, but the helicopter stayed with it and RCMP were notified, he said.
Leduc RCMP picked up the vehicle as it sped southward and Mounties further down the road placed a spike belt on the highway near Ponoka.
The car blew two tires when it struck the device, but continued onward on bare rims and dodged a second spike belt placed at the Hwy 11A overpass.
It then headed into Red Deer and pulled to a stop in the Mustang Acres mobile home subdivision, still under surveillance from the helicopter.
Police found the two suspects on foot, walking along 67th Street, said Shatto.
The man who had been in the passenger seat told them that Drummond had offered him a ride to Red Deer. He didn’t realize the car was stolen until he looked back to see six police cars with lights on chasing them down the road, he said.
Drummond said he had tried to evade capture because he didn’t want to go to jail, said Shatto.
In a joint sentencing submission crafted with defence counsel Daniel Wilson of Red Deer, Shatto asked for a sentence of five months with one year of probation and a one-year driving suspension.
Holmes gave a short lecture before passing sentence as recommended by the Crown and defence.
He said he found Drummond’s behaviour behind the wheel to be more typical of a habitual criminal than of a young man with no criminal history.
Such an attempt to evade capture while driving a partially disabled car on a busy highway posed a significant danger to police and to the public, said Holmes.
Demand was sentenced to consecutive jail terms of 90 days for evading police and 60 days for possessing a stolen vehicle, minus 52 days credit for the time he has spent in pre-trial custody.
He was ordered to serve one year on probation, beginning on the day of his release from jail and including an order that he is not allowed to enter any motor vehicle other than his own without the presence of or written permission from its registered owner. He is also prohibited from owning any weapons while on probation and is prohibited from driving for one year.
bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com