Failing to return a rented truck landed Jason Devins a nine-month conditional discharge.
Devins, who appeared in Bonnyville court on Tuesday via CCTV from the Calgary Remand Centre, pleaded guilty to theft of a motor vehicle after he refused to return a white Ford F150 truck he had rented from Ducharme Motors in 2013.
On Aug. 13, 2013, a Ducharme Motors employee reported to police that Devins had rented a truck from their company and had failed to return the vehicle regardless of their request for him to do so.
The 47-year-old was sentenced by Honourable Judge Kathleen Williams to serve a nine-month conditional discharge with conditions to keep the peace, be of good behaviour, attend treatment and counselling as directed by probation, complete 40 hours of community service, have no contact with the Ducharme Motors employee affected by the incident.
Devins will also have to write a letter of apology to the employee, expressing his gratitude for their efforts to resolve the issue without police involvement.
"I just messed up... I wasn't smart enough... I wasn't in the right headspace to take her generosity and return the vehicle," he told the court. "They tried to help me as much as they could."
Williams described a conditional discharge as a "unique" sentence where Devins pleads guilty to the offence but doesn't have a criminal record as a result. If he fails to follow the conditions of his order, Devins will be back before the court facing not only his original theft charge, but a new failing to comply offence as well.
