53 months in prison for drunken shotgun incident
Rodney Michael Dickinson’s discharging of firearm last summer called for sentence that will deter others from similarly dangerous, “potentially deadly” crimes, says judge
A Minto man who was grossly intoxicated when he fired a shotgun at a man last summer was handed a prison term of almost 4½ years Monday, as the judge needed to send a strong message.
Rodney Michael Dickinson, 53, of Bridge Street in Minto, appeared in Fredericton provincial court by video-conference from the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre on Monday to learn what his sentence would be for serious firearms crimes.
A sentencing hearing was held earlier this month for him for numerous offences, including discharging a firearm with intent to harm another Minto man, discharging it at a home knowing it was occupied, impaired driving and driving while prohibited.
The charges stemmed from an incident in Minto on July 23 that saw the RCMP issue an Alert Ready message directing community residents to shelter in place due to a firearm incident, which remained in effect for a couple of hours that afternoon.
Police responded to a Pleasant Drive residence shortly after 4 p.m. that day after receiving a report of shots fired.
Court heard that the investigation revealed that Dickinson had driven up to Paul Belliveau’s residence at that location in a silver Nissan sedan, and after yelling at the victim, fired a shotgun several times, causing damage to the residence and a vehicle parked in the driveway.
The suspect drove off, and RCMP officers soon learned it was Dickinson.
The silver Nissan, with Dickinson at the wheel, was soon spotted, and after a short pursuit that ended on a dead-end road, Dickinson was arrested after he pleaded with officers to shoot him.
The offender was highly intoxicated, court heard, and a breathalyzer test revealed his blood-alcohol level to be 220 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, almost triple the legal limit of 80 mg.
During submissions on sentence, Crown prosecutor Rodney Jordan asked the court to impose a 4½-year prison term, while defence lawyer Spencer MacInnis argued for 3½ years.
In rendering his decision on sentence in Monday, Judge Cameron Gunn ultimately decided on a term more in line with the Crown’s recommendation, imposing a prison sentence of four years and five months in total.
However, he also noted that Dickinson had served 177 days on remand, which translates into 266 days of time already served after the customary 1½-to-one remand credit formula is applied, or almost nine months.
That means the 53-month prison sentence will be reduced by that much.
Gunn said in crafting the sentence, he had to address competing concerns and issues. On the one hand, he said, the court had to consider Dickinson’s potential for rehabilitation and mitigating factors.
Among those factors, the judge said, were his guilty pleas, clear remorse, desire to address the alcoholism that drove the crimes, strong family support and the lack of violence on his criminal record.
“Mr. Dickinson does have good potential for rehabilitation,” Gunn said, pointing to the offender’s awareness of his substance-abuse issues and expressed desire to get help with them.
“He’s a hard worker, by all accounts.”
Conversely, the judge said, he had to consider the grave nature of Dickinson’s actions on the day in question.
“His intoxicated use of a shotgun… presented a real danger,” he said, noting the sentence imposed not only had to deter Dickinson from committing such crimes again, but others as well, given the likelihood of “a potentially dangerous consequence” that can arise as a result of discharging a firearm at people or occupied homes.
In addition to the prison term, Gunn imposed orders requiring Dickinson to submit a DNA sample for inclusion in a criminal database, prohibiting him from possessing firearms and other weapons for 10 years after his sentence, barring him from driving for five years after his release and requiring the forfeiture of the shotgun.
At the outset of Monday’s proceedings, Dickinson thanked the court and MacInnis for how it handled his case, and he thanked his family and friends for their support since his arrest.
He also apologized for the embarrassment he brought on them as a result of his drunken decisions on that summer day.
Jordan with several related charges Monday as well, such as counts of attempted murder, careless use of a firearm and improper storage/transportation of a firearm.
After court adjourned for the afternoon, Belliveau, who attended the sentencing decision Monday, approached the prosecutor, noting he hadn’t wanted to see the offender locked up.
The victim said he felt Dickinson needed medical help rather than incarceration.
Belliveau suggested there was a psychological issue that was at the root of what happened July 23, and he thought Dickinson needed medication and treatment.
Jordan explained to him that the sentence wasn’t just about dealing with Dickinson’s actions, but also designed to deter other people from considering similar illegal courses or action in the future.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.