Temperance Vale man admits to stolen copper charge
Charges show Kyle Lucas Stairs, 25, escaped from RCMP custody after damaging a police cruiser, among other crimes
A Temperance Vale man admitted to a variety of crimes Thursday, including possessing wire stolen from Bell Aliant, escaping from police custody, damaging an RCMP cruiser and unlawfully entering his grandmother’s home.
Kyle Lucas Stairs, 25, of Nortondale Road, appeared in Fredericton provincial court in custody Thursday, facing numerous charges.
He pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property, namely, copper wire belonging to Bell Aliant; damaging an RCMP police vehicle; obstructing an RCMP officer in the execution of his duty; and escaping from the custody of the same Mountie.
Those offences all occurred April 2 at Bull Lake, about 10 kilometres east of Woodstock.
Stairs, clad in jail-issued orange sweats Thursday, also faced a Jan. 4 count of unlawful entry into the home of Barbara Hagerman in Bear Island with intent to commit a criminal offence.
Though he initially planned to plead guilty to that count, upon hearing the full wording of the charge, he paused.
“I did not have a criminal intent. That’s my grandmother’s house,” he said.
After a brief recess during which he conferred with duty counsel Melina Ponting-Moore, who explained the law on that charge, Stairs did enter a guilty plea to that offence as well.
He also admitted to a March 27 count of breaching a release order by failing to attend court.
Crown prosecutor Gwynne Hearn asked for the preparation of victim-impact statements for consideration in sentencing.
Judge Cameron Gunn set over sentencing to May 4 and remanded Stairs again until that time.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.