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A Kamloops man who stole hundreds of dollars worth of items from local retailers has been ordered to spend the next three months under house arrest.
Charles Andrew Douglass was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty in Kamloops provincial court to three counts of theft under $5,000. Because he is homeless, the 44-year-old will serve his sentence at the shelter in which he lives.
Court heard Douglass stole twice from Winners and once from The Home Depot. In each case, he simply walked out of the store without paying for merchandise, and in each case he was very quickly caught and arrested.
On April 8, 2023, he stole $237 worth of merchandise from Winners. He was then caught stealing $431.46 worth of goods from The Home Depot on Aug. 27. He returned to Winners on Oct. 8, where an off-duty Mountie watched him steal shoes and clothing worth an unknown value.
Court heard Douglass had a promising career with CP Rail cut short by drug addiction. When he was arrested outside The Home Depot last summer, Douglass told police he was high on heroin.
Crown prosecutor Evan Goulet and defence lawyer Cameron Johnson presented a joint submission for a four-month conditional sentence order, the first three months of which would be served under house arrest.
“He does not appear to be a danger to the community, and it might be his best bet for staying on track,” Goulet said.
Johnson said Douglass and jail are not a good combination, and he’s thankful for the opportunity to serve his sentence in the community.
If he slips up, Johnson said, Douglass knows he will likely be headed straight to jail.
"He needs the sword of Damocles hanging over his head to keep him clean,” he said.
Kamloops provincial court Judge Roy Dickey went along with the joint submission, sentencing Douglass to a 120-day conditional sentence order, including 90 days of house arrest.
Douglass will also be prohibited from visiting Winners or The Home Depot and from using drugs or alcohol.
