'Trophy property' devalued
Knife pulled on stranger
B.C. appoints forest council
Jury discharged mid-trial
Preparing for possible strike
Campers staying in Canada
Swaping 1,000 POWs each
Asylum system suspended
Strikes kill at least 93 people
Brain-dead, must give birth
Hudson’s Bay brands sold
'No' to toxic environments 
Vees season ends in game 6
Leafs' ugly Game 4 loss
Vees heading to game 6
Suit could be 'dangerous' 
Diddy paid Ventura $20M
Criminal probe opened
Despite some significant skepticism, a Vernon judge has accepted a joint submission for a man who sent his ex-wife thousands of emails, parked outside her home and tried to stop her from leaving a public parking lot.
Christopher Todd Powers, 63, had previously been found guilty of criminal harassment, but he needed to wait to learn his sentence because provincial court Judge David Patterson was wary over lawyers' joint submission for a conditional sentence order — often referred to as house arrest.
“With a high level of trepidation, I have decided that now that electronic monitoring is in place, the law requires me to endorse the joint submission presented to the Court,” said Patterson, referencing a Supreme Court of Canada case that all but ties judge's hands when it comes to joint submissions.
“I do so with grave concerns about the safety of the victim, given the conclusions about Mr. Powers reached by the authors of the psychological report.”
Patterson said he took some comfort knowing Powers will continue to seek psychological help.
The charges stem from Powers’ continued attempts to contact his ex-wife.
Court heard his marriage began to break down in 2010, and by 2023 his now ex-wife told him she wanted no contact.
Between Oct. 1, 2023, and Feb. 13, 2024, Powers’ ex-wife filed a number of police reports alleging instances of Powers visiting her home or the home of her new partner. Over the course of those 4.5 months, Powers sent her about 3,500 emails.
On Jan. 26, 2024, Powers waited for his ex by her car in the Butcher Boys parking lot. He stopped her from closing her car door and leaving the parking lot, and attempted to grab her keys and phone. A bystander eventually stepped in and helped her leave.
After being arrested and pleading guilty to criminal harassment, Powers was released and prohibited from communicating with his ex. Despite that, he continued to try to contact her, leaving approximately 20 voicemails and a letter with dried flowers.
Powers was sentenced to a 14-month conditional sentence order to be followed by an 18-month probation. He must have no contact with his ex-wife for that entire time and will be required to attend counselling as directed by his probation officer.
He must also submit a sample of his DNA to police for inclusion in a national criminal database, and he will be prohibited from possessing weapons for 10 years.
