Jail for flare gun with shotgun shell
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A man who recently moved to Steinbach will be out of jail in a few days with a lifetime weapons ban after pleading guilty in Steinbach court Jan. 24 to breaking his 10-year weapons ban and possessing an illegally modified flare gun that was designed to be loaded with shotgun shells containing rock salt.
On Aug. 8 of last year, Alex Ames, 23, was spotted by Steinbach RCMP near Main Street and Brandt Avenue driving an e-bike that was reported stolen.
Police turned on their emergency lights to pull him over, but Ames evaded them and police stopped their pursuit. It did not take them long to spot Ames again in a parking lot on Main Street.
He again took off, driving through alleys before making a sharp turn on gravel and wiping out.
Police searched the bag Ames had around his neck and found break and enter tools, and a flare gun loaded with a 12-gauge shotgun shell modified to fire rock salt. He also had a knife in his pocket.
Ames was on a release order to not have any weapons or ammunition, and had a 10-year weapons ban from a previous firearms-related conviction.
Court heard Ames has been living a life of crime after becoming addicted to morphine and meth seven years ago.
Ames was already in custody for 170 days before last Friday’s sentencing, giving him 255 days of enhanced custody credit under Canadian law.
As part of a joint recommendation from the Crown and defence, Judge Tony Cellitti agreed to give a 270-day sentence for three weapons charges, leaving him with 15 to serve and likely only 10 of those in actual custody as the defence lawyer’s agent Carl O’Brien (Ames lawyer Saheel Zamen was not present for sentencing) mentioned in court most convicted are out after serving two-thirds of their sentence.
He was also given a lifetime weapons prohibition because of his lengthy record that includes weapons offences, and 18 months of supervised probation.
He is also not allowed to attend the Roadhouse 52 Inn & Suites where he was alleged to have used fraud to get a free stay and dinner, nor to contact the man who alleged Ames stole his vehicle.
Charges of motor vehicle theft, fraud, possession of property obtained by crime, and possession of break and enter instruments were stayed as part of the plea agreement.
Ames moved to Steinbach from Swan River after RCMP there alleged he committed a mid-afternoon home invasion last Jan. 13 that included charges of assault and robbery with a gun of a woman known to him who was sleeping while her infant was napping. Those charges, and charges of possession of a weapon contrary to a court order and unauthorized possession of a restricted firearm were stayed in Dauphin court last March.