One man was sentenced to over two years in custody for fleeing from police on five separate occasions.
For Honourable Judge Kathleen Williams, Justin Daniel Lang could have been facing a much higher sentence.
"I think this is a very low sentence," she told Lang during his Bonnyville court appearance on Tuesday, Nov. 20.
Lang is currently serving at the Edmonton Remand Centre, but will be transported to a federal facility for the remainder of his 24-month sentence.
In court, he pled guilty to 14 charges that stem from several incidences.
The first took place on Jan. 17, when Bonnyville RCMP were called to a local gas station after a vehicle had pulled up to the pumps and left without paying.
Police identified the driver as Lang through video footage.
He pled guilty to theft under $5,000 and operating a motor vehicle while disqualified.
Less than a month later, on Feb. 3, Elk Point RCMP were conducting patrols when they spotted a vehicle matching the description of the January gas and dash.
The officer initiated a traffic stop and ran the license plate, but before he could approach, Lang took off.
During his court appearance, Lang pled guilty to driving while disqualified and flight from police.
Elk Point RCMP investigated a suspicious abandoned vehicle on the Iron Horse Trail on Sept. 16. They later learned the vehicle had been stolen out of Ontario.
When interviewing with the Eastern Alberta District Rural Crime Reduction Unit on Sept. 24, Lang told officers he and his brother had taken the vehicle and drove it to Alberta from Ontario. Further investigation located fingerprints inside, connecting Lang to the theft.
As a result, Lang was charged and convicted of possession of property obtained by crime.
Lang pled guilty to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, flight from police, and possession of property obtained by crime, in relation to a Sept. 20 incident.
St. Paul RCMP were contacted by a member of the crime watch group about a possible stolen black Volkswagon Jetta at the St. Paul 7-Eleven.
The caller followed the vehicle to an apartment building, and waited for RCMP to respond.
When the officer arrived, they pulled in behind the Jetta. A women climbed out of the car, before the driver, who was later determined to be Lang, revved the engine.
The officer was out of his vehicle and had called for back-up when Lang backed into the police cruiser before taking off.
Additional RCMP had arrived at the apartment building in time to pursue Lang as he fled down the street at high speed.
Crown prosecutor Jordan Kerr said there were quite a few pedestrians in the area.
Three days later, Elk Point RCMP were on patrols searching for a vehicle involved in the Sept. 20 incident when they came across a car matching the description.
When officers attempted to stop the suspect, Lang fled at a high speed. RCMP didn't pursue for the safety of the public.
Lang pled guilty to flight from police in relation to this offence.
The following afternoon, on Sept. 24, Lloydminster RCMP were dispatched to Wal-mart where the vehicle Lang had been driving was located.
The Police Dog Service Unit had responded to the call, and when the officer located the car, boxed it in.
Lang was sitting in the driver's seat, and when he couldn't drive off, fled on foot towards a residential area.
The dog tracked Lang to the backyard of a nearby residence, where he was hiding under the deck.
When Lang refused to come out, the dog was released and "made contact," described Kerr.
Lang surrendered and was taken into police custody.
In court, he pled guilty to flight from police, resisting a peace officer, failing to comply with probation, and driving while disqualified.
In a joint submission, Lang was sentenced to 27 months in custody. He is prohibited from driving a vehicle for 10 years, and will serve a 10-year weapons prohibition.
Kerr said, "There's a plethora of aggravating factors."
He referenced the danger he put officers and the public in by fleeing from police, on more than one occasion.
"His conduct... was not an impulse or momentary lapse in judgement," Kerr added. "This isn't an individual who made a single bad decision... he continuously made a decision to try to escape apprehension."
Lang has a prior and related criminal record, including two previous convictions of flight from police, four possession of stolen property offences, and driving while disqualified.
Williams agreed that Lang's actions put responding officers and the community at risk, but agreed that the joint submission was within the realm of acceptable sentencing.
Stephanie Oleksyn, acting duty counsel, said there were some factors that could have been triable, and his early guilty plea should be considered a mitigating factor.
Williams didn't disagree, and sentenced the 24-year-old to serve his remaining 24-month sentence in a federal facility.
Lang said, "I apologize... I just want to get this over with and get back home to my family."
Originally from Nova Scotia, Lang moved to Alberta at the age of 19 for work.
In addition to his time in custody, driving and weapons prohibitions, Lang was ordered to provide a sample of his DNA for the Canadian National Databank.
"You now have a horrific record for driving offences," she stressed.
