St. Mary’s Man Found Guilty of Seven Offenses

A St. Mary’s First Nations man was found guilty of seven charges yesterday in the Fredericton Provincial Court.

Jared Sacobie, 22, was sentenced to 110 days in jail by Judge Mary Jane Richards as a result of a series of criminal offenses starting in 2012 including theft, assault, and failing to appear in court.

Richards noted during court proceedings that Sacobie had an extensive criminal record for a man of his age.

“You’ve been appearing before me since you were a young boy,” she said.

In May of 2012, Sacobie stole $50 from an employee at a gas station on St. Mary’s First Nations Reserve.

One month later, in June of 2012, Sacobie was involved in a fight outside of the Twenty/20 Night Club on Regent Street in Fredericton.

No weapons were believed to have been involved and Sacobie only threw one punch to the back of an opponent’s head. Police who responded to the scene found him with a ripped T-shirt and covered in blood.

Sacobie also failed to appear in court numerous times and was not adhering to his guidelines of probation.

The Crown Prosecutor pointed out that the majority of the young man’s criminal offenses were linked to alcohol consumption.

“Most, if not all of the offenses were because of alcohol or drugs, and that’s the main issue,” he said.

Sacobie had previously been ordered by Judge Richards to avoid alcohol, and last summer he completed the first segment of an alcohol rehabilitation program.

“You have had multiple breaches, but you have finally started to deal with the [alcohol] addiction issues,” she said.

Despite the attempt at kicking his addiction, he did not complete the second segment of the rehabilitation program. He had recently been ignoring the Judge’s orders, so the Crown suggested enrolling Sacobie in additional rehabilitation courses.

Judge Richards ordered the 22 year old to attend an addiction treatment center immediately after he serves his jail time. He is also prohibited from being around alcohol or drugs, and he will be supervised with probation for 12 months after his incarceration.

Fredericton Woman Charged With Theft

A woman from Fredericton was found guilty of theft yesterday in the Fredericton Provincial Court.

Angelina Johnson, 28, was in a tough spot when she ran into a large amount of debt last summer.

Anxiety from the debt fueled by a cocaine addiction caused Johnson to steal money from Dairy Queen on Prospect Street, her place of employment at the time.

Store surveillance cameras showed video evidence of Johnson reaching into the cash register and curling toonies and  loonies in her fingers while she returned customers’ change. She then stuffed the stolen money into her bra.

 Judge Mary Jane Richards was sympathetic, but unimpressed with the woman’s behaviour.

 “Employers rely on employees, and if they can’t, society can’t function properly,” she said.

 The Crown estimated Johnson stole roughly $2000 from the local business over eight instances.

 Judge Richards agreed with the Defense’s argument that Johnson’s charges should be minimal as it was only her first offense.

 “It seems kind of a shame – someone with no previous convictions at her age caught up in the drug world,” she said.

 The Defense informed the court that Johnson was going through a rough patch during her phase of deviant behaviour.

 At the time of the crime, she had recently experienced a breakup with her significant other, adding to the anxiety of her money situation.

 An understanding Judge Richards noted aloud that the teary-eyed Johnson had a good family, a good background, and that she was a hard worker.

 She sentenced her to 90 days in jail and 12 months of supervised probation. Johnson is also not permitted on the premises of the Prospect Street Dairy Queen.