NORTH BATTLEFORD – A man who had a sawed-off rifle, a machete, and more than a dozen .22 calibre bullets in his backpack in Tim Hortons in North Battleford was sentenced to nine months in jail.
Justin Decoux appeared in North Battleford Provincial Court Tuesday by CCTV from Saskatoon Correctional Centre and pleaded guilty to seven of the 16 charges he faced. Court heard that police were alerted to Decoux after getting phone calls from citizens that two men on bicycles with backpacks were spotted scoping out yards and houses. They were seen circling vehicles and homes in neighbourhoods around 9 a.m. on June 9.
Police located the two at Tim Hortons and Decoux had two packs that were "bulging" and appeared to contain weapons, court heard. At the time, Decoux was under a release order not to possess any weapons or firearms. Decoux fled from police and dumped his bike and backpacks but police were able to apprehend him and recover the backpacks.
When sentencing Decoux, Judge Lorna Dyck said the facts were troubling.
“What you had on your possession in such a public place as that and how you dealt with the police when they tried to stop you is troubling.”
Judge Dyck cautioned Decoux to think about the people he put at risk and what might have happened.
Decoux also had a small amount of methamphetamine and a switchblade on him at the time of his arrest.
Crown Prosecutor Suzanne Reid and defence Jonathan Bodvarson had reached a joint agreement for the global sentence.
Reid told the court the sentence was at the lower end but added that she took Decoux’s early guilty plea and young age into consideration.
Bodvarson told the court that Decoux wants to deal with his addiction issues and has the support of his mother.
“He is going to jail to be removed from society a little bit,” said Bodvarson, adding that this will give him a chance to remove himself from the drug culture.
Decoux was given 92 days enhanced credit for time served since he was arrested June 9. After he is released, he will be placed on probation for a year. He was also given a 10-year ban on owning firearms and weapons, and a lifetime ban on owning prohibited weapons.
