FILE PHOTO - Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre

(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

A Kamloops man has opted to stay in jail for the rest of his sentence rather than move to a transition house.

David Norman Myales pleaded guilty to assault, probation breaches and driving while prohibited in Kamloops Provincial Court and was sentenced on Thursday, Feb. 9.

Judge Lorianna Bennett gave him 65 days in jail with credit for a year and nine months but he was given the option to spend the rest of his time at a local shelter.

He told the court he's had success with a therapist while at Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre and wanted to continue that work instead of heading to Moira House, a Canadian Mental Health Association shelter in Kamloops.

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"I want to thank you for considering the conditional sentence order, which I respectfully decline today," he told the court. "I already got the ball rolling. I don't want to stop now. So thank you very much for everything."

Myales, 61, struggles with alcoholism and has post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from multiple sudden deaths among his family and friends.

"You're the one who deserves the credit for continuing to work on your rehabilitation, sir," Justice Bennett told him.

The court didn't go over the circumstances of his offence during his sentencing hearing. He was originally facing a slew of charges including assault with a weapon and forcible confinement.

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In March 2021, Kamloops RCMP said a woman was fleeing a downtown home and Myales was later picked up in a traffic stop.

He was accused of chaining the woman to a bed in the home among other assault charges, defense lawyer Cameron Matthee-Johnson told iNFOnews.ca.

Matthee-Johnson said there was little evidence to prove she was being held against her will, so Myales eventually pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon and a breaking and entering.

Once he's released, Myales will have to abide by several conditions for three years.

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