The homemade conducted energy weapon (taser) seized after Bear’s January arrest. Photo courtesy Prince Albert RCMP.
A Muskoday First Nation teen received a jail sentence of two years less a day on Wednesday after he was caught with cocaine valued between $3,700 and $4,600 in January.
Justin Glen Bear, 19, appeared by video in Prince Albert court to receive the sentence, which was accepted by Judge Daunt after lawyers presented a joint submission in relation to guilty pleas he entered for a number of different incidents from late 2016.
The first incident occurred in November when Bear attempted to evade police in Prince Albert, court heard, and the second a few months later on Muskoday.
Among the pleas entered, Bear admitted guilt to breaching court-ordered conditions while driving an unlicensed vehicle and resisting arrest during a traffic stop on reserve at 11 p.m. on January 1, according to a Crown prosecutor.
The arrest did not come easy, with Bear’s mother coming out of their nearby home and yelling at the officers. Also, Bear attempted to kick an officer in the face, the prosecutor said.
The most serious charges came after police searched the vehicle Bear had been in.
Mounties found a machete under the passenger seat, homemade taser in the console, and what appeared to be crack cocaine in the glove box, court heard.
Police also got ahold of a cellphone containing messages relating to drug trafficking, and Bear later admitted to selling drugs.
Bear’s guilty pleas covered possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
Bear’s lawyer Dale Blenner-Hassett conceded Bear committed an “obviously very troubling pattern of crimes” and has a substance abuse problem that should be addressed while in jail, but added Bear is a young person with a minimal criminal record.
Bear had previously been attending a Prince Albert high school to pass grade 10, and Blenner-Hassett said he does indicate remorse and wants to start fresh once he has served his time; that’s a sentiment shared verbally by Bear when he addressed court and his mother when MBC spoke to her outside court.
Judge Daunt wished Bear the best of luck with his addictions and his “tendency to carry weapons, which isn’t a good thing.”
Bear also received a 10-year firearms ban, DNA order, and time-and-a-half credit for the 128 days already served.