A Revelstoke resident was sentenced to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to a break and enter in court last week.
Joel Erwin Snider was arrested after an RCMP investigation determined he broke into a home on Pine Ridge Crescent in Arrow Heights on June 30, 2015.
Crown prosecutor Bill Hilderman told the court that Snider broke into the home sometime during the day. He stole various items including jewellery, wedding bands, a coin collection, bow & arrow, heat gun, backpack, a water quality metre and the family wills. The value of the stolen items was estimated at $3,000.
He also used a hammer and crowbar to break into a safe. To hide his tracks, he brought a can of spray paint to cover his finger prints.
Unfortunately for him, he left behind the spray paint can and police were able to pull his prints from it.
Hilderman asked for a jail sentence of six to nine months along with one year of probation. "This was a serious offence," he said.
Lawyer Melissa Klages represented Snider in court.
She said Snider was 31 years old and was born and raised in Revelstoke. While she acknowledged he made mistakes in the past, she said that he's been working full time for the past year at the Stella Jones pole yard and has stopped drinking.
"Mr. Snider really benefits from working there," Klages told the court. "He's a lot happier and more successful being employed full time and he's really looking forward to keeping that job."
She called the crime random and compulsive and presented a letter from his employer that praised him as a worker.
She asked for a sentence of 60–90 days, to be served on weekends. This would allow him to keep his job.
Judge Edmund De Walle sided with the defense in his sentencing. He handed Snider 90 days in jail, to be served at the Revelstoke RCMP detachment on weekends. He also gave Snider two years of probation, with strict conditions including no contact with the home owners, no drugs or alcohol, a 10-year ban on weapons, and no possession of any tools unless at home or work. He also ordered Snider pay restitution to cover the cost of the stolen items.
De Walle warned Snider that if he was caught breaking any of these conditions, he would be brought back to court. "I expect we're not going to see you back in front of these courts again," he said.