CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A P.E.I. man who stole a set of grow lights worth more than $1,000 and left his electronic monitoring bracelet in an alley after cutting it off was sentenced recently to 96 days in jail on several charges.
Kyle Ambrose McCarville, 30, appeared before Judge John Douglas in provincial court in Charlottetown for sentencing for driving while disqualified, theft, breaching his probation and failing to attend court.
The court heard that on Oct. 21, 2018, police officers conducting a checkstop saw McCarville turn as if he was avoiding them.
When they pulled him over, McCarville told the police he was under a two-year driving prohibition.
That prohibition was from a conviction for leaving the scene of an accident.
McCarville was on probation at the time, which included electronic monitoring, and on Oct. 28, 2018, he went to an area where he wasn’t supposed to be, then cut the bracelet and left it in an alley.
On Nov. 12, 2018, McCarville went to adult store Wild Impulse in Charlottetown where he stole a set of LED grow lights and a carrying case worth $1,031.55.
He was scheduled to be sentenced on all of those matters on May 7 but didn’t show up for court.
When the police saw him on May 18, McCarville fled on foot.
They eventually arrested him after his ankle got caught while he was climbing over a fence.
Defence lawyer Alex Dalton told the court McCarville was homeless at the time of the theft and he needed the money.
The court heard McCarville had a lengthy criminal record and Dalton said it was mostly related to homelessness and poverty.
Before hearing his sentence, McCarville told the court he had done everything he could while in jail and wanted to work on himself on the outside.
McCarville said he was trying to get back on addiction treatment drug Suboxone.
Douglas told McCarville he didn’t think letting him out the day of his sentencing would have been doing him any favours.
McCarville will serve the sentence as straight time and Douglas gave him credit of six days for time spent in custody after his arrest.
He will be on probation for 18 months after his release and will be under a one-year driving prohibition.
Douglas ordered McCarville to pay $1,031.55 in restitution to Wild Impulse and $18.75 to the electronic monitoring program for the damaged ankle bracelet.
