THUNDER BAY – A man who attempted to steal a vehicle while the owner was briefly outside of his vehicle, parked near a local pizzeria, has been sentenced to six months behind bars by an Ontario Court Justice.
Scott Savary, 45, appeared in Thunder Bay court on Monday to plead guilty to one count of dangerous operation of a conveyance, theft of a motor vehicle and breach of a recognizance.
Crown attorney Katrina van Kessel told the court that on Jan. 26, police officers were dispatched near James Street in relation to a male who had another man pinned down.
According to van Kessel, the owner of the vehicle had exited his car for approximately 15 seconds and left his vehicle idling.
Upon exiting, another male later identified by police as Savary entered the vehicle using the driver’s side door. When the owner returned, he opened the driver’s side door and told Savary to ‘get out of my car’ while holding onto the door.
At this point, Savary placed the car in reverse with the owner hanging on, dragging him approximately 25 metres. The vehicle was stopped when it crashed into a tree. The complainant sustained minor injuries.
The owner of the vehicle tackled Savary and held him down while he waited for police arrival. When police arrived and placed him under arrest, officers determined Savary had been released on a previous recognizance and was also charged with breaching that court order.
Savary’s lawyer, Karen Scullion told the court her client is originally from Nova Scotia and has a limited criminal record.
“Mr. Savary, things could have turned out a lot worse than they did, you’re lucky (the complainant) only suffered minor injuries, “Justice Chantal Brochu said in her sentencing. “As we know, offences with conveyances are taken seriously and have significant penalties.”
Defence and Crown counsel proposed a joint submission for Savary of six months of custody and a one-year driving prohibition. The joint submission was accepted by Brochu.
Savary has spent 65 days in custody at the Thunder Bay district jail and was granted an enhanced credit of 99 days. Going forward he has 81 days left to serve on his sentence.
He was also ordered to submit his DNA into a forensic national databank.
