A Bala man was in court recently after pleading guilty to driving through multiple people’s front yards.
Jason Boyd, 30, pled guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle and possession of cocaine.
Court heard that on July 17, 2023, Bracebridge OPP received a call at roughly 11:15 pm from a homeowner on Settler’s Lane in Bracebridge. The caller reported that someone had driven through the fence in his front yard before driving away. A short time later the police received a call from a second resident who said a vehicle had crashed into his front yard. The second caller reported the driver then got out of his vehicle and kicked the caller’s front door in before walking through his house and into his backyard.
Police arrived and arrested the driver, Boyd, who was also found to have 26.7 g of cocaine in a bag inside the vehicle.
Court heard the dangerous driving had also been recorded on CCTV footage.
Boyd was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest, a 12-month driving ban, and 12 months probation.
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Allen Markle…..Surely the point in sentencing is to protect the community and deter further such behaviour (by the current offender and others).
I would note that I claimed conditional sentencing was cost “effective” …not cost “efficient. There is no evidence that incarcerating offenders decreases the likelihood of re-offending (with the possible exception of hardened addictions).. More often, incarceration is a training session for an escalating criminal career.
While I am not “soft on crime” (I think), I also don’t believe in sentencing for the sake of revenge. Like you, I simply want it to stop.
People are flawed. And people have flawed judgment. But I can’t think of a sadder government expenditure than the criminal justice system. I believe in minimal intervention to rehabilitate criminal behaviour. And that takes an objective, clear eyed approach.
Paul Whillans: Are you telling me incarceration should only be considered if it’s cost effective? What is the cost of someone like this guy, loose in our communities, should he destroy someones life?
Who pays all restitutions in such an instance?
What are the restitutions for the destruction of a family?
OMG
This guy needs to be placed in PRISON for a couple of years. He is dangerous and a threat to society.
Paul Whillans, we’ll see.
My bet is we will see this name again.
26.7 oz of cocaine is a significant amount, house arrest for dealers?
I am always concerned when citizens offer knee jerk opinions.
Roughly 18,000 Canadians get conditional sentences (house arrest) each year. While length of sentence varies, the average is 90 days …as in the case reported here.
The average cost of incarceration in Canada is roughly $150,000 per year.
Thus house arrest for non violent offenders saves the taxpayer more than $6.5 billion. Although complicated, evidence indicates that rehabilitation rates are higher for conditional sentencing (certainly no evidence suggests that incarceration improves re-offending rates)..
Surely then the current judicial sentencing protocol is the most cost effective
PS All restitution will be paid
He wouldn’t have gotten off so lightly if one of those yards belonged to the judge or the mayor
WHO SAYS CRIME DOES NOT PAY?
Was he out on bail at the time?
Only in Canadian courts, you say!
Right on Thomas Spivak !!! Not enough jail cells to arrest all the crazy people we have this day and age !!!
Another ridiculous sentence by the courts.
Almost an ounce of cocaine, property damage, and a B&E and he gets to sit at home and get stoned and watch tv.
What about damages ?