A man was given 1.5 months in jail after he broke into a property while on bail for drug charges.
Shannon Lee Masuskapoe, 34, pleaded guilty to three counts of possession including cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin and one count of breaching bail terms.
Masuskapoe was in custody 43 days and was sentenced to time served since his September arrest.
On July 14 around 10 p.m. an RCMP officer saw Masuskapoe riding his bike on Vermillion Avenue in Princeton and was aware of an outstanding warrant for the man and arrested him. The warrant was from the upper Fraser Valley for a non-appearance in court. After searching Masuskapoe, the officer found 0.9 grams of meth in the man’s pocket and a search of his backpack revealed 2.3 g of meth, 1.3 g of cocaine and 0.9 g of heroin.
Masuskapoe was released on a recognizance for those charges and on Sept. 17 a woman called the RCMP to report that she observed a man dressed in black enter a residence that was supposed to be empty, she said the owner had recently died.
Two officers attended and entered the garage where they found Masuskapoe with a few items including jewelry and cufflinks. Judge Greg Koturbash said the break-in was not egregious as there was “no victim, so to speak other than the estate holders of the property.” Though he noted a break-and-enter can have an impact on the community at large feeling safe in their homes.
“Especially a place like Princeton, where break-and-enters are rare,” Koturbash said.
Masuskapoe, who has no prior criminal record, said the experience was “an eye-opener” for him and apologized for his actions. He received 18 months probation upon his release.