A Brantford man who was stealing to support his drug addiction welcomed his prison sentence.
“I’m looking forward to getting some help in the penitentiary,” Matthew Scott Wells, 41, told Justice Collette Good, who sentenced him to two years plus a day.
Wells pleaded guilty to 19 offenses and saw many other charges dropped as he made multiple court appearances this year.
In April, Wells pleaded guilty to three counts of breach of probation, two counts of theft under $5,000 and one count of possession of stolen property over $5,000. Justice Aubrey Hilliard sentenced him to about a month of time already served.
In August, he pleaded guilty to another list of offences, including four theft over $5,000 charges, possession of break-in tools, possession of a dangerous weapon, breach of probation and breach of release orders.
Court was told that, on Jan. 16, 2021, Wells and two others broke into a vehicle in St. George and stole tools and a generator valued at more than $27,000.
In February 2021, he stole a cellphone from someone who advertised it for sale on Facebook.
In March 2021, Wells and two others stole a $1,500 chainsaw from a construction trailer.
In May 2021, he stole a Toyota Prius from a driveway in Paris.
And, last February, police caught him with a Taser. He also was charged with possession of more than $36,000 worth of drugs found in a vehicle in which he was a passenger but that charge was later dropped.
The Crown and defense agreed Wells should go to prison to get help with his drug addiction.
“Mr. Wells is over 40 and has a long record with a 25-year drug addiction,” said defense lawyer Alexandra Valeri.
“His offenses have been motivated by his addiction and the need to have money for that addiction. So, going to a federal institution will allow him to have some support not available in the provincial system.”
Valeri asked that the judge to recommend that Wells, once eligible for parole, go to a rehabilitation facility rather than a halfway house.
Good expressed concern that Wells was caught carrying a stun gun.
“You were on bail to not possess weapons, have a history of violent conduct, are struggling with addition: you’re exactly the kind of person we don’t want walking around with a Taser.”
But she praised him for starting on the right path.
“Now, you’re making choices that will help you move forward and break the connection with drugs, which will break your connection with the criminal justice system.
Wells was sent to prison but, last month, appeared in Simcoe court, where he pleaded guilty to possession of identification documents, possession or use of stolen credit cards and two counts of possessing stolen property, all connected to a September 2021 incident.
He was sentenced to 165 days of the time served that had not yet been attributed to any crime.
@EXPSGamble