REGINA - A Saskatchewan man was given a 1,025-day prison sentence after he was caught with a sawed-off shotgun in Estevan in March 2023.
Adam Samuel Bachorcik, age 39, was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a prohibited firearm, with readily-accessible ammunition capable of being discharged from the firearm, and not having a licence.
According to court documents, he pleaded guilty on Oct. 31, 2023, and a sentencing hearing was held last December. Judge Murray Hinds handed down the sentence in mid-January in Regina Provincial Court. Bachorcik, who has been in custody since his arrest last March, will be given credit for time spent in remand, reducing the number of days he'll spend in prison.
The Crown was seeking a sentence of four to 4 1/2 years in prison, while the defence urged the court to impose a 16-month conditional sentence order.
Bachorcik was also given a lifetime ban from possessing a firearm, crossbow, prohibited weapon, restricted weapon, prohibited device, ammunition or explosive substance.
Bachorcik was in the process of moving from Swift Current to Regina when he was arrested in Estevan. He has family in the area.
According to court documents, on March 20, 2023, the Estevan Police Service (EPS) received a call from an Estevan hotel. The caller told police that the accused and a woman, Cynthia Bell, were staying at the business. Cleaning staff had seen the woman holding methamphetamine in the hotel room.
Police saw Bachorcik and Bell leave the hotel room. They were arrested for possession of methamphetamine.
Court documents show officers searched Bell and found a notebook which contained records consistent with drug trafficking, plus methamphetamine, fentanyl and a cell phone.
Police found three 12-gauge shotgun shells on Bachorcik, along with fentanyl, methamphetamine, a bottle of premix rooting powder, a cellular phone and keys to a vehicle. Bachorcik has been using the drugs to manage back pain from a previous motor vehicle collision.
Officers obtained a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act search warrant, permitting the search of the hotel room and the vehicle, according to court records. Police located 8.4 grams of methamphetamine in the hotel room and the shotgun was found in the vehicle.
The court document says it was a 12-gauge, break action, multi-barreled side-by-side sawed-off shotgun. The firearm was found in the trunk of the Nissan in the rear spare tire compartment, and was disassembled into three pieces, and wrapped in bubble wrap and duct tape.
Bachorcik gave a voluntary statement to police.
Hinds noted Bell is facing her own charges in relation to the events of March 20, 2023, including possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking. The judge noted she has not been convicted in connection with any of the charges.
