THUNDER BAY - A Thunder Bay man who waved a handgun at his former girlfriend and threatened to kill her and himself last August will spend the next two years behind bars.
Brandon Stevens, 22, pleaded guilty in a Thunder Bay courtroom on Tuesday to two firearm charges dating back to August 2019.
Stevens appeared in court on Tuesday to enter guilty pleas to two charges and for sentencing.
Court heard in August 2019, Stevens attended a residence where his former girlfriend was at the time with a firearm in his possession, Crown counsel Robert Kozak said.
During the incident, Stevens was upset and indicted that his ex-girlfriend had cheated on him and that he was going to come back and kill her and himself.
Before leaving, Stevens waved a handgun at his ex-girlfriend and her cousin.
The police were called and they attended Stevens’s residence and found him asleep. They noticed a gun and a duffle bag with ammunition. Stevens was taken to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre for mental health concerns.
Stevens was subsequently arrested and has been in custody since.
Defence and Crown counsel submitted a joint sentence of two years in jail including the time he has already served in pre-sentence custody.
He was also given an 18-month probation order with a 10 year-firearm prohibition.
Stevens’s lawyer, Robert Habjan told the court his client has a relatively short criminal record and has substance abuse issues when it comes to alcohol.
Since his arrest, he has been working at obtaining his high school diploma and is only a few credits short of graduating and has also taken advantage of programming to help with substance abuse while in jail, Habjan said during his submissions.
“Mr. Stevens has done a lot of positive things while incarcerated,” Justice Chantal M. Brochu said.
Multiple letters of support from family and friends were also submitted as exhibits on behalf of Stevens highlighting his good character and that this incident is not a true reflection of who he is.
“You see how much you are loved for, cared for and how much these people are hurting by seeing you in the position you are in,” she said. “They describe you as someone who is smiling, caring.”
In her reasons, Brochu also emphasized the seriousness of Stevens’s offences.
“The situation and the offence itself can’t be ignored,” she said. “This could have turned out a lot differently and a lot worse. You could have hurt someone and you could have hurt yourself.”
Crown counsel also mentioned his sentence had to be substantial not only for Stevens but for the rest of the community.
“Before in Thunder Bay, firearms and guns weren’t a prevalent crime however we have seen an increase of that, there is a lot more in our community and guns are dangerous,” she said. “Such offences won’t be tolerated.”
Stevens has already served 194 days in custody.
