BOYLE — A Boyle area man accrued another four months of jail time for stealing a vehicle and running from police last January on top of a two-year sentence he’s currently serving in a federal prison.
Faron Paul Howse appeared via CCTV in Boyle Court of Justice Jan. 14 to receive his sentence for single counts of obstructing or resisting a peace officer and possession of stolen property over $5,000.
Howse was found guilty at a Sept. 5, 2024 trial, and during his latest appearance Justice Bill Hendsbee handed down a combined sentence of 255 days. Howse received 140 days of enhanced credit for time served prior to trial, and is left with 115 consecutive days left to serve in addition to his ongoing federal sentence.
Federal Crown prosecutor Steven Devenney told court at the time of the offense, Jan. 29, 2024, Howse was bound by a release order, a factor he listed as aggravating.
“Also aggravating is the criminal record,” said Devenney. “While there are no direct related convictions for the theft, the criminal record is still significant.” He listed weapons convictions from 2015 and 2022 and another recent finding of guilty for resisting or obstructing an officer.
“Mr. Howse fled across wooded terrain, and this case put the officers in a potentially very dangerous position, they were required to follow on foot,” Devenney said.
Howse’s conviction for possession of stolen property over $5,000 related to the theft of a vehicle. While the owner of the vehicle’s statement had not been read aloud during sentencing, Devenney summarized her perspectives shared during the September trial.
“It was clear from her evidence that she was significantly impacted by the theft of her motor vehicle,” he said.
“In addition to impacting (the victim), it also impacts society at large; motor vehicle theft increases insurance premiums for all motor vehicle owners and passes the cost of this type of crime onto everyone.”
He cited a 2009 ruling out of Saskatchewan which noted the cost of vehicle thefts to governments, consumers, police, and insurance companies had been estimated at approximately $1 billion every year according to data from the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).
A May 2024 report from IBC states vehicle theft is still trending upwards as insurance claims for replacing stolen vehicles reached an all-time high of $1.5 billion in 2023.
“Stolen vehicles have become involved in police chases, where reckless driving can cause injury or death to innocent bystanders,” said Devenney.
“Stolen motor vehicles also play a role in other criminal activity. They are often used to courier and traffic in substances and illegal firearms and other property offences. The evidence at trial indicated this vehicle was likely involved in such activity.”
Howse’s defence counsel Andrew Phypers agreed to the Crown’s suggested sentence, and although a Gladue report was completed for trial, it was not read into the record during sentencing.
Phypers did detail a number of factors identified in the report as influences on Howse’s behaviour, such as the generational trauma of residential schools and early exposure to violence, substance abuse and death.
“I can tell the court Mr. Howse has been attending an extreme amount of programming while in custody. He has children that he is actively involved in, and his mother is a very good and supportive woman.”
Howse spoke for himself through CCTV from the federal institution in which he opted to serve his two-year sentence in order to access programming and other resources.
“I want to put this behind me and get home as fast as I can,” said Howse via CCTV.
“I’m aware that you’ve been through some very difficult times, and I’m hoping that a reasonable sentence like this and some of the programs that you’re able to access while you’re incarcerated will help you to get on your feet when you do get out, and I wish you the best of luck in that regard,” said Hendsbee.
