Edmonton man Aaron Christopher Watt's record will reflect nine-months in prison for his part in the theft of a Ford F-350.
With the preliminary hearing on the charges set for Feb. 22, Watt brought it forward early, entering two guilty pleas on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2018 at the Bonnyville Provincial Courthouse.
Both were in relation to an incident on Nov. 9, 2017, at the Hawk I's liquor store in La Corey.
“A Ford truck pulled up to the store, and the passenger, who was identified as Watt, got out of the passenger's side. He proceeded to steal a parked Ford F-350 belonging to a customer,” detailed Crown prosecutor Jeffrey Rudiak.
The customer exited the store to find his vehicle stolen and immediately phoned the Bonnyville RCMP. Upon apprehension, police discovered Watt was a disqualified driver at the time.
In a joint-submission with the defence, Rudiak asked for a nine-month prison sentence. A related record was presented as aggravating circumstance, while the acceptance of responsibility prior to the trial worked in Watt's favour as a mitigating factor.
Watt declined comment when given the chance to offer his thoughts prior to sentencing.
Honourable Judge Kathleen Williams took a few possible complications into account when agreeing to the joint-submission.
“There were a few things the Crown would certainly have difficulty with in a trial. He has to be given credit for taking responsibility for his actions,” said Williams.
Consequently, Williams sentenced Watt to nine-months in the Edmonton Remand Centre. He had been in custody since the date of the offence, but will not be released on a time-served basis due to unrelated criminal matters out of Edmonton.
