A 42-year-old man who threw a chunk of concrete through two glass doors at a Burnaby community centre during a psychotic episode has been granted a conditional discharge.
Police were called to the Edmonds Community Centre at about 2 a.m. on Nov. 24 for reports a man had broken into the facility, according to agreed facts presented at a sentencing hearing in Vancouver provincial court Wednesday.
"At one point, he's now stuck between the two glass doors, and then he throws it again through the second glass door," Crown prosecutor Sharon Preston said.
Police located the man in the men's washroom.
"He's not very compliant," Preston said. "Officers were concerned that he was under the influence of some type of drug."
Jason Curtis Demsky was originally charged with breaking and entering with the intent to commit an offence but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of mischief Wednesday.
Preston noted he hadn't stolen anything while he was in the building and didn't say anything to police.
Since Demsky doesn't have a criminal record and is already in treatment for mental health and addiction issues, Preston said it would "not be contrary to the public interest" to impose a 12-month conditional discharge in the case.
That means Demsky wouldn't have a criminal record if he abides by the conditions of his probation.
Preston and Demsky's lawyer, Yulia Soliman, both called for the same sentence, and B.C. provincial court Judge James Sutherland accepted their joint submission.
Under the terms of his probation, Demsky is banned from the Edmonds Community Centre and must tell his probation officer if he stops taking his medication.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on X/Twitter @CorNaylor
Email [email protected]
