A man arrested in the vicinity of a problem property in the VLA has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for trafficking in cocaine.
Justin Edward Pawluck, 29, was issued the term Thursday in Prince George provincial court, 23 days after he was arrested outside of 2053 Oak St.
Prince George RCMP crime reduction team members were conducting surveillance of the home on Aug. 28 when they saw Pawluck arrive on a bike and then leave less than 10 minutes later.
When they stopped him, Pawluck tried to ride off and when an officer grabbed his bike, he fled on foot but was eventually found in the back yard of a 1300 block Strathcona Ave. home.
A pursuing officer saw him throw something which, when later recovered, turned out to be 71 grams of crack cocaine.
A search of Pawluck uncovered $5,470 in cash, two cellphones that were ringing constantly and a list of initials and numbers, known as a score sheet. He also volunteered nearly three grams of powder cocaine from a shirt pocket.
The next day, Pawluck told police he owed between $16,000 and $20,000 and had been collecting debts owed to him to pay back the amount.
A father of two young children who has lived in Prince George for a decade, Pawluck had been working at the time of his arrest as a stucco finisher but was also dealing drugs to support his own addiction.
In November 2012, Pawluck was also sentenced to 18 months less time served for a similar offence in which he also tried to flee police.
But in a joint submission, Crown prosecution and defence counsel recommended the same duration, noting that he pleaded guilty and did so as soon as possible.
In agreeing with the submission, provincial court judge Victor Galbraith told Pawluck he is getting close to facing federal time of more than two years for further offences.
Pawluck, who apologized for "wasting the court's time," nodded in agreement with Galbraith. He received 23 days credit for time already served in custody.
Two other people face charges as a result of arrests at or near the home.
Pamela Jane Starnes, 41, faces three counterfeit-related charges from an Aug. 8 RCMP raid on the same home, where police seized counterfeit U.S. currency and counterfeit money-producing equipment.
A 31-year-old man was arrested Aug. 30 outside the home. Along with cash, drug trafficking paraphernalia and what police believe to be a quantity of methamphetamine, Mounties said they also found a metal baton similar to those carried by police.
The man's name was not released pending formal charges by Crown counsel.
