A Prince George man well known to the police and court will serve nearly eight more months in jail for a series of offences that began with trying to flee police in a stolen car and the recovery of stolen jewelry.
For Sam Anthony Rossetti, 22, the latest round of convictions stems from a series of events that began Oct. 12, 2016 when an RCMP member spotted him driving a car stolen in a home invasion the day before.
He was seen heading west on Highway 16 and then along Lansdowne Road where the car was abandoned. With the help of a police service dog, Rossetti was apprehended and the car's keys were recovered from him.
While RCMP were taking photographs of the vehicle, police were advised of a theft of gold bracelet worth $8,000 from a jewelry store in Pine Centre Mall. A description of the suspect and the car matched Rossetti and the vehicle he was driving. When RCMP asked him about the theft, Rossetti, who was sitting in the back of a police cruiser, reached down the front of his pants and pulled out the bracelet.
After 52 days in custody, Rossetti was released with conditions that included a curfew but when RCMP showed up at his home the next day to do a check, he was nowhere to be found. A bit more than a month later, he was arrested and back in custody for a further 29 days.
About two weeks after his second release on conditions, police saw him speeding along Domano Boulevard in a sport utility vehicle, crossing a solid line and going over a curb before reaching a gate at the end of the road.
Rossetti tried to steer the vehicle around the gate but lost traction. As it slid backwards, Rossetti jumped out and went for a run. RCMP followed his tracks in the snow, passing through several back yards before he was arrested.
Rossetti has remained in custody since then, amounting to 190 days.
In all, Rossetti was sentenced to one year nine months in jail but received credit of roughly 13 1/2 months, or 1 1/2 days for each day spent in custody prior to sentencing, reducing the amount of time left to serve to seven months and 20 days.
Once out, Rossetti must also serve a two-year probation and was also issued a concurrent two-year driving prohibition for two counts of driving while disqualified, twice the length he received in May 2016 for dangerous driving.
Rossetti, who pleaded guilty to seven offences from the incidents, has an extensive criminal record and "constant drug use" has driven his bad behaviour, the court was told. But in the time he's been in custody, Rossetti has taken steps to turn his life around and is getting close to getting his Grade 12 equivalency.
Rossetti was warned he could face significantly longer sentences if he's back in court again.
