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Chase lands repeat offender six months in jail

A repeat offender in the Okanagan quickly pleaded guilty after being denied bail Monday.
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While protesting that the Crown’s allegations were “hugely” exaggerated, a repeat offender in the Okanagan quickly pleaded guilty after being denied bail Monday.

Anthony Donavin Werden, 24, was sentenced to six months in jail for charges of flight from a peace officer, driving while prohibited and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

Werden had recently completed a sentence of 14 months in jail for possession of a stolen vehicle, two counts of obstructing a peace officer, breaking and entering and multiple breaches of probation.

On Feb. 19 around 2:30 p.m. members of the RCMP’s targeted enforcement unit received information that Werden would be visiting the probation office on Martin Street.

“The police officers attended because they were interested in keeping an eye on Mr. Werden,” Crown counsel John Swanson said.

Police observed Werden walk to the parking lot of the probation office, clean the windows of a black vehicle and hop in the driver’s seat. He was a prohibited driver at the time. Police followed Werden in an unmarked police vehicle until he made an erratic right hand turn into the parking lot of Penticton Auto Sales, and Crown said a visibly marked officer and vehicle were in the area.

Crown said Werden observed the police vehicle, drove over a curb and starting driving toward Westminster
Avenue. Werden “very dangerously” went over a sidewalk curb and into a heavy flow of traffic, Swanson said, cutting off a truck which had to hit its brakes in order to avoid a collision. Crown said Werden moved his vehicle into the left-hand lane, where traffic slowed and returned to the right-hand lane where he once again cut off a vehicle. The officer in the unmarked police vehicle eventually pulled up beside Werden and Werden pulled over and was arrested.

“Mr. Werden was posing an extreme risk and menace to the motoring public in Penticton,” Swanson said.

Werden pleaded to Judge Greg Koturbash during his bail hearing Monday that he didn’t know police were behind him during the chase.

“If you see the video, the second I turn the lights on I pull over. They’re exaggerating the truth hugely here,” Werden told the court, noting multiple times there was video evidence of his claims.

“There’s no ‘erratic’ here, it’s all on video, they told me it’s all on videotape,” Werden said. “I don’t cut anybody off, it’s all on video.”

During a sentencing hearing for Werden in September 2015, it was revealed that a 19-year-old Penticton woman who died of an accidental heroin overdose told police that Werden introduced her to injecting drugs. Werden argued for house arrest, speaking of his two-year-old stepchild which he said he takes care of in Princeton. Werden has 14 prior convictions for breaching court orders and was on probation and a driving prohibition at the time, which Koturbash noted when he quickly denied Werden’s bail. After hearing that his bail was denied, Werden asked: “is there any way I can get this dealt with today?”

Werden pleaded guilty Tuesday and received a three-year driving prohibition.