A 22-year-old drug dealer from Gibsons received a six-month sentence for a string of 10 crimes he committed in 2004 and 2005.
William G. Lucas, who claimed he sold drugs to support his own addictions to methamphetamine and marijuana, wiped tears from his eyes during his sentencing hearing in Sechelt provincial court June 7.
Judge Dan Moon warned Lucas to change his ways.
"You're going to be out fairly soon, Mr. Lucas. I don't know if you're going to be able to change your life around," said Moon. "If you don't want to spend lots and lots more time in jail, you'd better clean your life up."
"I'm working on it, your honour," Lucas replied.
Lucas pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking, possessing hashish for the purpose of trafficking, possessing a dangerous weapon (a pellet gun), possessing a prohibited weapon (tear gas), using a stolen debit card and five different breaches of probation or bail orders. In a plea bargain, Crown prosecutors agreed to drop nine other charges against Lucas.
Lucas' year-long crime spree began in April 2004, when the RCMP seized a pellet gun from his North Road trailer. Two young men said they were walking down a trail past the trailer when Lucas appeared on the porch, pointed what appeared to be a handgun at them, and threatened to shoot.
In May, he failed to report to his probation officer. In September, he tried to use a stolen debit card to pay for ferry fare at the Saltery Bay terminal. In November, after police got a tip that Lucas was dealing drugs at Elphinstone Secondary School, an officer spotted Lucas in upper Gibsons near the school, preparing a bong. A search found Lucas was holding six bags of methamphetamine and five bags of marijuana, packaged in small amounts as if for sale. He was released on bail and promptly broke his bail conditions by disobeying his curfew three days later. On Nov. 9, one week after his release on bail, he was caught holding eight dime bags of hashish, a digital scale with hash residue, a grinder with hash residue and a canister of tear gas.
Still free on bail in December, he was arrested on a provincial warrant and found to have a cell phone, contrary to the terms of his bail order.
Throughout his probation and bail, he consistently failed to report to his supervisor as required.
Finally, on April Fools Day 2005, Lucas was arrested for possession of marijuana. This time he was denied bail and detained in custody.
Crown prosecutor Don Fairweather argued Lucas should get a 12-month jail sentence on top of the nine weeks he had served.
"I don't believe I need to go on about the dangers of methamphetamine, how quickly people become addicted, its disastrous physical and psychological effects," said Fairweather.
Defense lawyer Darcy Lawrence asked for a shorter jail sentence of about two months on top of his time served.
Moon, commenting that it is "difficult to craft a sentence I think is fair" for so many different crimes, decided on six months in addition to the time served. He also ordered Lucas to serve a year of probation after his release and banned him from possessing firearms, crossbows or explosives for 10 years.
