North Bay man sentenced for breaking into vehicles, damaging bar

[Guest Nicole]

A 28-year-old man was “in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong attitude” when he broke into two vehicles in October, Ontario Court of Justice heard Tuesday.

Correy Whitton had stayed out of trouble with the law for about four years, “cleaning up his act” from a drug- and alcohol-fuelled youth.

“Over the years he was out of control with alcohol and substance abuse,” defence counsel D.L. Ehlers told Judge Pierre Bradley.

He was gainfully employed and found direction in his life, dedicating his life to the Jehovah’s Witnesses and to his family.

“While he was with the group he had it all together,” Ehlers said.

But when he followed his partner and their three children to North Bay, things went wrong. He was frustrated and angry that he had given up the first full-time job he’d ever held over a custody issue, and then discovered his brother had been hospitalized with a drug overdose.

“I was pretty messed up,” he admitted.

Court was told that on Oct. 2, a Tackaberry Drive resident found Whitton in his father’s vehicle rummaging around in the front seat area.

The man removed Whitton from the vehicle and pinned him to the ground until police arrived. When police searched him, they found bolt cutters and other break-in instruments in his possession.

At the police headquarters, he gave officers a false name.

Whitton was released on bail the following morning.

On Oct. 22, Whitton entered another vehicle and removed the owner’s wallet. He went to a convenience store and purchased $45 worth of lottery tickets with a credit card he took from the wallet.

Two days later, Whitton and another man entered a bar after closing time through an unlocked rear door, taking and breaking items with a total value of $5,006.

He was arrested the following day based on video surveillance.

Read more: http://www.nugget.ca/2018/01/03/north-bay-man-sentenced-for-breaking-into-vehicles-damaging-barvi