Overdosing on fentanyl leads to conditional sentence breach, and jail, for P.E.I. man
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Breaching a six-month conditional sentence involving home arrest, whereas overdosing on fentanyl, has led to jail time for a P.E.I. man.
“(Matthews) has, sadly I might counsel, an nearly crippling substance abuse concern,” stated Crown lawyer Jeff MacDonald on Could 11 at sentencing for Samuel David Matthews.
Matthews, 30, pleaded responsible to the breach and was sentenced in provincial court docket in Charlottetown.
MacDonald advised the court docket that on Could 1 at 1:44 a.m., the RCMP responded to a 911 name at Matthews’ residence of a suspected drug overdose. When police arrived, they discovered Matthews unconscious even after he had been given Naloxone by one other man inside his residence. Matthews remained unresponsive, so he was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for remedy. Matthews was launched from hospital at 6:25 a.m. The opposite man visiting Matthews, who has a previous felony file, was not approved to be contained in the residence and induced the breach.
It was famous in court docket that administering the Naloxone doubtless saved Matthews’ life.
The six-month conditional sentence and 18 months of probation have been imposed by Chief Choose Jeff Lantz on Jan. 12 after Matthews pleaded responsible to a few theft beneath $5,000 shoplifting offences. Matthews’ prolonged felony file included 22 prior theft beneath $5,000 offences. At that court docket look, MacDonald really helpful a five-month jail sentence whereas legal-aid lawyer Justin Milne sought 90 days in jail to be served on weekends.
Milne stated that Matthews had been sober for a time frame and had been taking addictions applications. As effectively, Matthews had secured employment with a building firm and just lately turned a father, which was a motivating issue for him to alter. Matthews additionally had the help of his dad and mom, which hadn’t all the time been the case. Matthews paid in court docket $420 in restitution for the thefts.
After listening to submissions, Lantz stated {that a} conditional sentence could be extra acceptable and helpful to Matthews. Lantz defined {that a} conditional sentence had not been tried up to now, so he gave Matthews one other probability to show himself given the circumstances and the steps he had taken.
“If you happen to give me this opportunity, you will not see me on this courtroom any extra or at Sleepy Hole (the provincial jail),” stated Matthews on Jan. 12.
The Could 1 incident wasn’t the primary time Matthews breached the conditional sentence. Shortly after it was imposed, Matthews was sentenced to 60 days in jail on Jan. 31 for a breach.
For the Could 1 breach, Lantz accepted a joint sentence suggestion, albeit “reluctantly,” from MacDonald and Milne for 5 days in jail. Milne prompt that had the matter gone to trial, there may have been points proving the breach. Even so, Lantz identified that Matthews may have additionally been charged with breaching the conditional sentence for having unlawful medicine in his system. With out the joint suggestion, Matthews would have doubtless been sentenced to serve the rest of the conditional sentence in jail, stated Lantz. The six-month conditional sentence is scheduled to be accomplished mid-June.
