Getaway driver sentenced after pleading guilty to theft
By Tim Kalinowski on September 2, 2021.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDtkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com A Lethbridge man accused of dragging a security officer behind a truck pleaded guilty to theft, and was sentenced in Lethbridge provincial court on Wednesday.Crown Prosecutor Michael Fox told the court Cory Bruce Hagan, 40, had been acting as the getaway driver as an accomplice entered the Rona store on 32nd Street South at 1:45 p.m. on March 29 of this year. The alleged accomplice, named by police as Almo Yellow Face, 35, was observed by loss prevention officers in the store “behaving somewhat suspiciously.” The man proceeded to take a Dewalt tool bag with associated tools worth approximately $800 off a shelf, and put it into his shopping cart. The man then proceeded toward the back of the store and exited by the rear entrance setting off the door alarm. One of the store’s loss prevention officers gave pursuit.
The man who took the tools ran to a vehicle parked outside driven by Hagan. He threw the tools into the back of the half ton truck and started to get into the front cab passenger side. The loss prevention officer jumped into the back of the truck to retrieve the tools. The man who had stolen the tools, observing the officer, took flight on foot. Hagan then started the truck and began to drive away. The officer then attempted to jump out of the back of the vehicle with the tools and somehow got caught up and was dragged for a few feet before he let go.
Fox told the court he believed Hagan when he said he was unaware that the loss prevention officer was being dragged.
“We are not maintaining or any evidence suggests Mr. Hagan was aware (the officer) was dragged any distance by the truck,” said Fox.
Hagan retrieved the alleged accomplice a short while later, Fox told the court, and they left together with the tools still in the back of the truck.
Defence lawyer Darcy Shurtz of Connolly and Associates told the court those facts were admitted, and offered a guilty plea to a single count of theft under $5,000 after other charges associated with the incident were withdrawn.
“It should be noted,” said Shurtz, “Mr. Hagan and the other individual were stopped by police later in the day and I believe the tools were recovered.”
Shurtz told the court his client, who has a lengthy criminal record of property-related offences and most recently served 120 days in jail for theft of an automobile after pleading guilty to that offence in July of this year, struggles with addiction and engages in theft to raise funds to support his drug habit.
Shurtz and Fox then made a joint submission that Hagan be sentenced to 60 days jail time less five days in pre-trial custody on enhanced credit, leaving him 55 days left to serve.
Judge Jerry LaGrandeur accepted Hagan’s guilty plea, and imposed the suggested sentence of 60 days. Follow @TimKalHerald on Twitter 4
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