Nathan Guillemette-Prevost managed to make his way from a credit union's ATM area into the Sault Ste. Marie financial institution in the early morning hours of Oct. 2.
The Timmins man scaled up the wall, damaged ceiling tiles and created an entrance point into the Community First Credit Union, a judge heard Wednesday.
It was shortly after 12:38 a.m. when he entered the service area of the Bay Street building where he accessed various confidential banking documents involving 25 different individuals.
The 26-year-old stole swipe access cards, keys to the boardroom and other miscellaneous items, prosecutor Robert Skeggs said.
Guillemette-Prevost also damaged the structure and cut wires to the banking machine, the Crown told Ontario Court Justice Romuald Kwolek
When he ended up in custody, police found he had two bags from the institution, credit cards and keys to the boardroom and a business work vehicle.
All sorts of videos captured his actions.
He was still wearing the same clothing he had on during the time he was in the building when he was later arrested at another occurrence.
The accused pleaded guilty to break and enter to commit the indictable offence of mischief and failing to comply with a release order in connection wirh the incident.
At the time, Guillemette-Prevost was required to reside with his surety in Timmins.
He also was convicted of seven offences that occurred in Timmins last year.
These charges included another break and enter to commit mischief, causing a disturbance, two counts of theft, and three counts of breaching probation.
On April 26 to 27, Guillemette-Prevost forced his way into a Timmins residence, the court heard.
Nobody was home. He overturned every piece of furniture, emptied every drawer, and left the refrigerator and freezer doors open, Skeggs said.
The accused then took off his clothes and slept in a bed until police were notified and arrested him.
His lawyer Sharon Sabourin told the court he doesn't have a clear recollection of what occurred.
On May 1, Timmins police received multiple complaints about Guillemette-Prevost causing a disturbance by yelling and disrobing.
The theft offences occurred on June 12, when he stole two $35 bottles of whiskey from a LCBO oulet.
He then absconded with two six packs of a chocolate milk drink from Shoppers Drug Mart.
The Crown and defence jointly recommended a 14-month jail term — 10 months for the break-in at the credit union (an "extremely serious offence" ) and four months for the Timmins offences.
With the enhanced credit for his pre-sentence custody, he would face a further five months behind bars.
Guillemette-Prevost has a criminal record and there also are obvious concerns about his mental health, Skeggs said.
Sabourin told the judge her client has been before the court on a fairly regular basis since he was 19, but never for anything as serious as this.
He has persistent difficulties with homelessness and a related profound addiction, but also has had periods of sobriety, the Timmins lawyer said.
"When he uses he ends up doing things much more serious."
Guillemette-Prevost came to the Sault for treatment, and when he finished the program, he was back on the street with no place to live, she told Kwolek.
He began using again, and committed this offence.
Sabourin said her client is still young and there are hopes for rehabilitation.
Drugs have been his problem for the past seven years, but "if we can get this monkey off his back" he can get an education and work.
"He can get derailed easily from his path," she said. "He is not proud of what he did and doesn't remember a lot of it."
When he imposed sentence, Kwolek noted he been hearing that young man hoped to turn his life around
"Substance abuse is a terrible thing and a life-long struggle," the judge said, urging him to get treatment.
Kwolek agreed with the recommended sentence, indicating to the accused that he must spend a further 150 days in custody.
The judge recommended that he serve the balance of his time at the Monteith Correctional Complex in Iroquois Falls.
As well, Guillemette-Prevost will be on probation for two years, and must take any directed assessment and counselling for substance abuse.
He must also stay 100 metres away from various locations, including the LCBO and Shoppers Drug Mart in Timmins, and Community First Credit Union in the Sault.
Kwolek also imposed a 10-year weapons prohibition and ordered him to provide a DNA sample for the national database.
