A Hagersville man who tried to steal a vehicle while he was drunk ended up being hit with a shovel by his victims.
Court was told that, last Feb. 4, John Alexander Hill, 32, got into a GMC Sierra truck in Ohsweken and tried to drive away before being attacked.
“He was hit with a shovel by the owners of the truck, fracturing his arm,” said defense lawyer Jaime Stephenson.
“He suffered significant injuries and was taken to hospital.”
Hill fought back and was initially charged with six counts of assault, which were later withdrawn.
After the attack, police tracked Hill through fresh snow to a Bicentennial Trail home in Ohsweken, where he was on a back porch, with blood on his face and hands from a head wound. He was holding what looked like a knife, court was told.
When officers yelled at Hill to drop his weapon, he advanced on them and a Taser-type weapon was used to bring him down.
Hill had a pair of scissors, two knives and a bottle of pills when he was searched.
In Ontario Court in Brantford, he pleaded guilty to impaired driving, driving while prohibited and possession of stolen property.
Justice Robert Gee agreed with a joint submission by the defense and Crown of a time-served sentence of 10 months for Hill.
“You’re at an age where, if you have addiction issues causing your problems and you don’t take care of them, you’re going to be standing there more and more often,” warned Justice Robert Gee.
“It’s not a bright future.”
The judge placed Hill on probation for 18 months with an order to steer clear of those involved in the melee around the truck he tried to steal.
Hill has been convicted of vehicle theft or possession in the past. In 2019, he rammed several cruisers in an attempt to evade capture. In court for that offence, he pleaded guilty to a dozen crimes committed from 2016 to 2018, including dangerous driving and assault with a weapon.
In 2021, Hill was one of five Six Nations residents who saw about 70 charges against them with drawn after. The charges were the result of a raid that yielded loaded guns, drugs and stolen lottery scratch tickets.
But a judge wasn’t satisfied that the warrant used in the raid was based on proper information and agreed with a defense lawyer that the charter rights of the accused were violated.
@EXPSGamble