A very special event occurred on Wednesday evening in the Chicoutimi district of Saguenay. A wallet theft from a vehicle ended with the arrest of a person who had 36 warrants out for his arrest.
During the evening, a citizen of Chicoutimi noticed that his car had been stolen. He decided to take a tour of the stores and try to find it himself.
By chance he entered a supermarket on Bégin Street and a few moments later the suspected thief also entered the room. The man, who was looking for his belongings, recognized his wallet in the person’s hands, which led to an argument between the two men. The police were alerted and when they arrived they discovered that the man had been wanted for several weeks and was in possession of cocaine.
The man has a long criminal record and there were 36 arrest warrants against him.
He tried to regain his freedom at the Chicoutimi Palace of Justice on Thursday, but the crown opposed it.
“The gentleman has already been released on conditions and the gentleman has breached one of the conditions, so we have requested that his release be revoked. The gentleman has a lot of theft offenses, he has a lot of fraud offenses. Most important, however, are misdemeanor burglaries. “These are offenses punishable by life in prison,” said Me Allyson Aubry Lachance, Crown prosecutor.
The defense is trying to have the man benefit from the PAJ-S program, a legal aid program for people with mental health problems that are not sufficient to exclude them from criminal liability. In this case, the person would be transferred from a regular court to a specialized court. The man was received by a program staff member this afternoon.
“We will look at the Lord’s motivation, the effort he is willing to make. The defense attorney, prosecutor, and clerk then meet and discuss what we can do for the gentleman. If the guarantees are sufficient, the gentleman could be released with serious medical conditions, including participation in the PAJ-SM program, forcing the gentleman to visit his psychiatrist, take medication and consult specialists to avoid recurrence.” said Me Olivier Théorêt, defense attorney.
The individual will remain behind bars until his return to court next Tuesday, where he will attempt to regain his freedom.
Additionally, Saguenay police strongly recommend people not to take the law into their own hands. Charges may also be levied against those who do so. It is recommended to call the police. Police also want to remind people of the importance of locking car doors and not leaving valuables inside.