A Prince George man is no longer accused of a shooting that left another man with a serious stomach wound but he will serve another 534 days in jail for possession of a loaded and prohibited firearm.
Tobin John Woods, 28, was issued the term in B.C. Supreme Court in Prince George on Monday after pleading guilty to the charge. In all, he was sentenced to three years in jail, the minimum he can receive for the offence, and was given credit for 561 days time served prior to sentencing.
He had remained in custody since Nov. 8, 2013 after RCMP executed a search warrant on his 1300-block Foothills apartment and found what was suspected to be evidence related to the shooting, which occurred six days before in front of a 1400-block Nations Crescent home.
Woods was initially charged with attempted murder but that charge was soon dropped, although he continued to face several other charges related to the incident. Woods denied he committed the act and Crown was unable to clearly establish who had pulled the trigger, the court was told Monday.
But police had also found a number of items unrelated to the shooting, including a quantity of methamphetamine, drug trafficking paraphernalia, a loaded hand gun and what's believed to be explosive material.
Woods lived alone but "a number of others tended to come and go," and may have left their belongings at his home, defence counsel Jason LeBlond said. However, Woods conceded he had "knowledge and control" of a semiautomatic handgun loaded with five rounds and so, pleaded guilty to a count of possessing a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition.
Woods had been in custody for 374 days and received credit of 1.5 for each day he had served prior to sentencing. A dozen other charges against Woods were stayed.
The 51-year-old victim of the shooting has since recovered, the court was told Monday. Police believe he was shot after he intervened in a dispute.
