Photo: Colin Dacre

A South Okanagan man who committed multiple thefts on bail has been sentenced.

A South Okanagan prolific offender was handed a 674-day prison sentence in Penticton Provincial Court Wednesday after committing multiple thefts across the region while on bail.

Robert Sauve, 28, pleaded guilty to various charges, including break and enter, theft, possession of stolen property and driving while prohibited in relation to five separate incidents.

Court heard that during the evening hours of April 30, 2024, Sauve broke into two vehicles parked at Oliver Eats deli on Station Street, which belonged to the business owners.

Damage was found on both of the vehicles and some items, along with cash totalling $500 to $600, were stolen from inside. The theft was all caught on security footage.

The business owners recognized Sauve and were able to catch up with him the next day, where he returned the iPad he had also stolen from them. They told police Sauve promised to repay the money that had been taken.

Sauve was arrested shortly after, where he admitted to breaking into the vehicles and was then released on a police undertaking.

Then on Aug. 17, 2024, just after 9 p.m., police had a Walmart employee come up to them while in a parking lot of the store in West Kelowna. They asked police for help after a man had left the store with a bag of items without paying for them.

Sauve was then pointed out by the employee and seen to be getting into a red Ford Bronco.

Sauve was confronted by police, and he apologized and said he would return these items. He was arrested, and the car he was driving was found to have been reported as stolen the day before.

The Crown said the total value of the items taken from Walmart was just under $60 and they were recovered.

On Oct 28, 2024, a man woke up at 5 a.m. to find his Dodge Caravan had been stolen. Security footage revealed that the van had been stolen around 10:30 p.m. the previous night.

A friend of the vehicle owner later observed the van in the Dollarama parking lot in Oliver, and he attended the parking lot to match the license plate.

He called 911 to alert police and partially blocked the stolen vehicle in the parking lot with his own car in an effort to stop him from leaving the area.

Sauve managed to drive around the car and leave, but he was later found by police. He was arrested and again released on an undertaking.

Sauve's vehicle stealing days didn't end there, as on Dec. 12, 2024, Penticton RCMP received a complaint that a Penticton resident that their truck had been stolen, even though his keys were still in his possession.

Sauve had broken in and started the truck by jamming a small metal item into the ignition.

The truck was spotted by an officer the next day. The officer tried to initiate a traffic stop when the vehicle stopped on its own, and Sauve exited the driver's seat of the vehicle and attempted to run away.

The officer caught up to him and placed him under arrest, when Sauve spontaneously uttered upon arrest, "I didn't know the truck was stolen."

Sauve was released again on an appearance notice.

Finally on Dec. 20, 2024 at about 8 a.m., a report of an intoxicated driver in parking lot in Okanagan Falls was reported to RCMP.

The caller told police he was following a white GMC pickup truck that was swerving around in the parking lot, and had hit a median. He also told them the man, later identified as Sauve, appeared to have a crack pipe in his mouth.

The license plate revealed this vehicle had been reported stolen out of Penticton. When officers attended the scene, Sauve got out of the vehicle and start to walk away.

He was promptly arrested and this time, held in custody, where he has remained since.

Court heard that Save was also bound by a probation order to not enter in or handle any part of a motor vehicle without the registered owner present during all of the offences.

The Crown said it was "quite aggravating" to see Sauve continue to commit crimes and operate motor vehicles while being on a release from the courts.

His record, which includes 27 convictions, primarily consists of crimes of violence, uttering threats and breaches of court orders.

The Crown was seeking 600 days in jail, minus the days Sauve is being credited for having served. They also asked for a two-year probation order, a driving prohibition, and an order to attend counselling for residential treatment for drug and alcohol use disorder.

Defence asked for a year of jail time to be sentenced, followed by the two-year probation, taking into account that Sauve has been accepted into a treatment program and will work on addressing his substance use disorder.

Judge Lisa Wyatt said it's clear that further jail time is needed to achieve the principles of deterrence and denunciation, as Sauve continue to offend despite lengthier jail sentences given in his past.

"Sauve and other like minded individuals need to know that if they possess stolen property over and over again, and if they steal from their fellow citizens, that there will be stiff consequences, particularly when the offending continues repeatedly," she added.

Sauve will have another 422 days of prison, after credit for time already served, followed by two years probation.