Five young adults who broke into a Freetown man’s home then beat and robbed him are all going to jail.
The case elicited some strong words from Judge Jeff Lantz, who, during sentencing Tuesday, mused that it was a wonder no one was killed.
“This is a disturbing case,” said Lantz.
“I’m completely boggled again as to how you can have a group of young people involved in such serious offences and come from the backgrounds they do and without any serious records. Unfortunately the common denominator in these cases is serious drug addictions,” said Lantz.
The accused, who pleaded guilty, are: Jeferson Sanders, 22, Joshua James Bernard, 21, Skyler Kenneth Fear, 21, Shelby Jean Mary Doucette, 19, and Devon Charles Boyles, 19.
Bernard received the harshest sentence at 42 months in jail. The other four were sentenced to 24 months, less one day, in jail and 36 months of probation. Saunders received an additional sentence of 20 days in jail on other, non-related charges, but avoided federal time by being credited with the one and a half months he’s already spent in custody.
Since their arrests the five have received treatment, to varying degrees of success, for drug addiction. The court noted Doucette in particular had made significant strides in turning her life around since the incident.
The robbery itself was precipitated by a drug debt.
On Feb. 2, Sanders, Bernard and Doucette delivered a shipment of crack cocaine to the victim, who handed over his debit card for them to withdraw payment. When the account returned insufficient funds they returned to collect the drugs, but the victim, a man, had already consumed about $250 worth of it.
The three spent the next couple of days using methamphetamine and planning to rob the victim to get the value of their drugs back. Fear was also involved in the plan.
On the night Feb. 4, just before the robbery, they got a text from Boyles asking for a drive home. All five used meth in the car while the plan was explained to Boyles.
They burst into the home, faces covered, one carrying a baseball bat and another a tire iron.
They took various valuables, but as they were leaving the victim attacked Fear. Bernard struck the victim multiple times over the head and shoulders with the baseball bat, until he let go of Fear and they all fled.
After several minutes the victim recovered enough to get in his vehicle and drove after the assailants.
The victim found his assailants' vehicle stuck on a dirt road a short distance from the house and watched the occupants for a while as they tried to push it out of the mud and snow, noting their plate number.
The victim waited for police but when he realized they were not coming he tried to stop his attackers himself, ramming their car at 40 km/h as they tried to drive past him. He was blocking the only exit from the dirt road.
They got stuck again. He rammed them again.
Eventually they managed to manoeuvre past the victim's vehicle and took off down the highway.
The victim pursued them, reaching speeds of 140 km/h down the Blue Shank Road, through Travellers Rest and all the way to Miscouche, where he gave up pursuit.
He found an RCMP officer at the St. Eleanors Irving and reported the incident.
He was treated in hospital for numerous bruises to his head and upper body. He also had a scalp laceration that required nine stitches.
Police tracked the car to its owner's home in Summerside and found four of the accused inside. The fifth was arrested a short time later.
