Probation for city man who 'chased down' teens pranking his son

Photo: Castanet Staff

A Kamloops man who “chased down” a group of teens that rang his doorbell, pushing one of them up against a parked truck, will spend the next year on probation.

Stephen Douglas Strader, 50, pleaded guilty in Kamloops provincial court to one count of assault.

Court heard a group of four teenagers were trying to play a prank on Strader’s son on May 21, 2020, when they placed pieces of concrete on the front step of his Sahali home and then rang the doorbell.

Crown prosecutor Laura Drake said Strader became upset and ran after the teens, catching the slowest of the four and pinning him against a parked truck. The teen eventually ended up on the ground.

Someone in the area called police and Strader was arrested.

“There is an element of vigilanteism here that should be deterred,” Drake said, suggesting a sentence of probation with a condition requiring Strader take anger management counselling.

“Especially in Kamloops, in the last couple of years, we have a very high-profile example of what can happen. And there is a sentiment in the community of being fed up with crime.”

Jessie Simpson spent months in hospital after an attack in June of 2016 at the hands of a Brocklehurst homeowner who thought the teenager was stealing his property. Kristopher Teichrieb is serving a seven-year sentence in a federal prison, and Simpson will require 24-7 care for the rest of his life.

Defence lawyer Eric Rines said Strader is not a vigilante, but he was embroiled in a dispute at the time of the incident that had seen him threatened by an acquaintance.

“He’d been on what he would describe as high alert,” Rines said.

“It was a threat he took quite seriously.”

Rines asked Kamloops provincial court Judge Lorianna Bennett to grant a conditional discharge in the case, meaning the conviction would not appear on Strader’s dated criminal record.

Court heard Strader’s son is a promising high school football player who might head south to play collegiately in the U.S. in the next couple of years. If the assault conviction were to show on Strader’s record, Rines said, he would be unable to help his son move to the U.S. or visit him while he was there.

Strader was apologetic in court.

“First and foremost is my regret for taking these actions the night they did what they did,” he said.

“Obviously, in hindsight, there could have been better alternatives instead of chasing these kids down. I just want to express my regret for that.”

Bennett sided with Rines and granted a conditional discharge, placing Strader on probation for a year. If he completes the probation term without incident, the assault conviction will not show on his criminal record.