A man who had been accused of being involved in a break and enter at Jay's Lace It Up on April 22 has been acquitted of all charges.
In Port Alberni Provincial Court on Monday, Judge J. Joe acquitted Pierre Gino Guidotti of break and enter, possession of stolen property, flight from a peace officer and dangerous driving.
A lack of corroborating evidence regarding Guidotti's identification the day of the incident resulted in the acquittal. “The only evidence of his identification came from his co-accused Robin Schultz,” provincial prosecutor Graham Merke said. “Her evidence solely didn't prove his identification beyond a reasonable doubt.”
On May 4, Judge D. Cowling sentenced Schultz, 29, to 535 days in jail and 18 months probation for motor vehicle theft, break and enter and failing to stop.
She has now been paroled and may be in treatment, Merke said.
On April 22, the windows at Jay’s Lace It Up were smashed and someone stole thousands of dollars worth of merchandise before fleeing.
Schultz was in a vehicle that police chased along Hwy. 4 after the driver failed to pull over. The truck drove over an RCMP spike belt placed across the highway at Hilliers Road by Oceanside RCMP. The truck, which was later determined to be stolen from Nanaimo, continued on but drove into a ditch at Qualicum Beach.
Schultz was apprehended after a foot chase.
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