The Guardian
A man who stole a $300 cellphone will have to pay more than three times that amount after he tried to sell it to a police officer.
Robert William Keating, 32, appeared before Judge Nancy Orr in provincial court Monday in Charlottetown where he pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property.
During Monday’s proceedings, the court heard that on Oct. 31, a Rogers store manager reported a $300 Motorola Razr cellphone was missing.
The next day, one of the store’s employees saw an ad on Kijiji with the phone for sale for $300 and listed as brand new. When the employee emailed the seller, he was able to get the serial number and the store confirmed it was the phone.
A Charlottetown police officer then emailed about buying the phone and they arranged a meeting at a Tim Hortons during which Keating met with another officer, who arrested him.
The phone was recovered in resalable condition.
Orr ordered Keating to pay a $1,000 fine and $150 to the victims of crime fund.
Christa Dawn Gregory, 31, was also fined Monday after she pleaded guilty to stealing video games from Walmart in Charlottetown and breaching the conditions of her probation.
On Oct. 14, store security saw Gregory open five video game packages and slip the games into her purse. The games were valued at about $110 but the store wasn’t able to sell them. Her lawyer, Randy MacDonald, told the court the theft was driven by her addiction and he asked for a fine or sentence to be served on weekends because she provides care for her children during the week. Orr ordered Gregory to pay a $500 fine for the theft, $200 for the probation breach and $75 for the victims of crime fund.
