P.E.I. man pleads guilty for role in lobster theft
CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A P.E.I. man has pleaded responsible for his function in a lobster theft valued at greater than $20,000.
Vernon Blake Wooden, 36, appeared by video on April 5 in P.E.I. Supreme Courtroom and pleaded responsible to a cost of possession of stolen property valued at over $5,000. Wooden was initially charged with break, enter and theft over $5,000 however, as an alternative, agreed to plead responsible to the associated offence.
Crown lawyer Nathan Beck informed the court docket that on June 27, 2019, the RCMP responded to a grievance of a break-in and theft from LOL Seafood in Murray Harbour North. Thieves stole 40 crates of dwell lobster with an estimated market worth of $20,000 to $25,000 someday between 9 p.m. on June 26 and a pair of a.m. on June 27, mentioned Beck.
Later, on June 27, the RCMP in Shediac, N.B., positioned a 2006 Ford dice van stopped alongside the aspect of the highway and pulled over to research. On the scene, police seized the stolen lobster and arrested three folks – Clint William Harris, 35, Christopher Steven Reynolds, 35, and Marvin Leon Tyler, 50.
The dice van was accompanied by a Dodge Ram truck pushed by Harris and registered to Wooden. Each automobiles had been impounded by police. It was later found by police that the dice van was reported stolen on June 28 by a resident in Mount Stewart, mentioned Beck.
A press launch from the P.E.I. RCMP on July 2, 2019, indicated that Shediac RCMP positioned the dice van damaged down alongside the aspect of the highway shortly after 8 a.m. on the day of the offence. Police grew to become suspicious when it was found that the van wasn’t authorized to be pushed on a highway and that the lobster wasn’t saved correctly.
When initially contacted by police, Wooden mentioned he owned the lobster that was being delivered to Shediac and the dice van, mentioned Beck.
On P.E.I., police obtained knowledge from Wooden’s digital monitoring bracelet, which he was sporting due to a previous conviction. The information confirmed Wooden was in Mount Stewart on the location of the dice van theft on June 27 between midnight and 12:07 a.m. after which on the door that was breached at LOL Seafood in the course of the time of the break-in and theft between 12:52 a.m. and 1:17 a.m.
A mobile phone belonging to Harris was additionally seized by police, and textual content messages indicated his and Wooden’s involvement within the group and planning of the offence, together with what to do if police found the dice van in conjunction with the highway close to Shediac, mentioned Beck.
Police arrested and charged Wooden on Jan. 16, 2020.
Beck famous that Harris and Reynolds have already been sentenced in provincial court docket for his or her roles within the offence. Tyler has not been handled but in court docket and a warrant for his arrest has been issued.
Wooden was represented by defence lawyer Brian Pfefferle.
Justice Nancy Key adjourned sentencing to July 8.
Terrence McEachern is a justice reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island.
