A Prince George man was sentenced Thursday to four years in jail for his role in an incident at a local motel that left a man with a gunshot wound.
Less credit for time served, Donald Justin Johnny Baker, 24, will serve a further 35 months in a federal institution for the May 1, 2018 incident at the Queensway Court Motel.
The sentence came by way of a joint submission from Crown and defence counsels after Baker pleaded guilty to a charge of committing a robbery where a firearm is used.
Baker had been facing eight counts, including attempted murder, but proving the most serious of those charges appeared doubtful, the court was told.
Baker was alleged to have shot a man in the shoulder after bursting into a room at the motel with a .22 calibre rifle and attempting to carry out a robbery.
However, the victim has refused to cooperate with investigators and other witnesses have also been reluctant to testify.
There was also some question surrounding the circumstances. Police were told the victim originally grabbed the gun away from Baker only to have it taken back, raising the possibility the gun was fired during a struggle.
And the shooter's intent was also in doubt. He only demanded the victim's possessions and never threatened to kill him, it was noted.
Baker was arrested the next day, when police located the getaway car at a local mobile home park, and has remained in custody ever since.
Co-accused Harley Raymond Poole was apprehend two days later. In December, he was sentenced to a further 21 1/2 months, also on a count of committing a robbery where a firearm is used.
Baker has struggled with addiction to heroin and methamphetamine and was found suffering from an overdose when he was apprehended, the court was told.
The downward spiral took hold at age 14 when, in April 2009, his father, Vernon Darcy Baker, 44, was stabbed to death - a murder that remains unsolved.
Following his father's death, the younger Baker was placed in a series of foster homes where he was "exposed to a lot of negative factors." However, he is now on a methadone treatment program and is working to get his life on track, the court heard.
The shooting incident was the last straw for the Queensway Court Motel. In September, city council unanimously upheld a decision by city staff to suspend the motel's business licence for six months effective Oct. 1 .
During a court-like hearing on the matter, Prince George RCMP Supt. Warren Brown told council that during a three-month period in 2017, RCMP were called to the spot 188 times, compared to between 36 and 84 times to similar-sized motels and hotels in the city.
