A 34-year-old man was sentenced to 129 days for stealing a vehicle, driving while prohibited and breaching his curfew.
Brent Jameson Morgan pleaded guilty Aug. 11 in Prince George Provincial Court to the two driving-related crimes committed April 26. Judge Judith Doulis agreed to the joint sentencing proposal from Crown and defence lawyers. Morgan will spend two years on probation after he is freed from custody.
Morgan was serving an eight-month sentence, imposed last December, of house arrest and curfew for possessing stolen property worth more than $5,000. The 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew phase began March 19 and included a requirement to wear an electronic monitoring tag.
But, on April 21 and 22, the central monitoring office received alarms that Morgan was absent from his residence on Wainwright Street. An officer called the residence and his roommate said he was not there. Morgan had removed the tag and strap from his ankle, prompting a warrant for his arrest.
On April 26, a Prince George RCMP officer spotted Morgan in a black Pontiac Grand Prix, but decided not to initiate a chase in a residential area. Later that day, a man told police that an unknown male tried to steal a friend’s vehicle on McIntyre Crescent. Morgan was pulled out of the white Ford Mustang, but fled down the street.
Doulis sentenced Morgan to 30 days for breaching the driving ban and 90 days for vehicle theft. During a June 11 appearance, he admitted to violating his curfew. The nine remaining days will be spent in jail before he begins the new, four-month sentence.
Morgan appeared by video from Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre. His lawyer, Tony Lagemaat, told Doulis that his client is a certified welder. The Manitoba-native’s mitigating factors include his First Nations background, life in an abusive foster home from age eight to 14, time on the streets of 100 Mile House and Prince George and hard drug use at age 19.
The online court file shows that Morgan is scheduled to be tried in December for drug and firearm charges stemming from an Oct. 4, 2024 incident in Prince George.
