A man who stole a vehicle in the middle of the night and led police on a high-speed chase through Okotoks will spend about the same time on probation as he will in jail. On July 24, Judge Anne Brown sentenced James Chartrand to one more year in jail and gave him credit for 2.5 years of time served for two years spent in remand. He was also sentenced to three years probation. On July 14, 2016 Okotoks RCMP were alerted to a stolen vehicle was taken early that morning. Chartrand and a teen evaded police by trying to run them over, striking cars in the parking lot as they left. A high-speed pursuit ensued north through Okotoks on Southridge Drive, sometimes in the wrong direction. A police dashcam video shows Chartrand narrowly missing a Volker Stevin pick-up truck that an RCMP vehicle subsequently smashed into. A month after his arrest Chartrand pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, assaulting two police officers, criminal hit and run, housebreaking, theft of a motor vehicle and fraud under $5,000. Brown said she met in the middle between the Crown prosecutor’s submission for five to six years in jail and Chartrand’s lawyer’s request for time served with two years probation. She said the most important factors in her sentencing considerations were how his Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) affects his ability to understand the consequences of his actions and that he is an indigenous person. The seriousness of his crimes and his lengthy related criminal record were factors that required more jail time, Brown said. “You present an interesting challenge,” Brown said, noting Chartrand has an average IQ and the ability to reintegrate in society. The late-night break in where an Okotoks family was home and the subsequent dangerous driving were the most serious offences, said Brown. Chartrand received 12-month sentences for both offences, but was given time served for the dangerous driving. Brown said she extended the period of probation requested by his lawyer to allow Chartrand to receive support for childhood trauma and FASD. Chartrand didn’t know his father and his mother and her family struggled with addictions, the court heard. He suffered physical and sexual abuse as a child and was placed in foster care at the age of eight, where he was also abused. His case was particularly tough, she said, referring to a Gladue report, which looked at factors of his indigenous background. “I have read many tragic Gladue reports and yours is one of the most tragic,” Brown said. A support worker from the John Howard Society FASD program testified last week that she had opened a file for Chartrand, but had not reviewed his case. Jean Gould, an FASD support program specialist with the John Howard Society, said they offer assistance to people with FASD with their court cases, housing, finances, employment and FASD assessments and medical issues. Gould said Chartrand should have his FASD assessment updated and have a support team assigned to him when he leaves jail. The judge also urged Chartrand to work with the Corrections Transition Team, which assists inmates as they prepare to be released from jail. Chartrand is banned from driving for five years and cannot own or possess weapons for 10 years. He is banned from going to the Okotoks home he broke into and cannot have contact with the homeowners.
