Image Credit: FILE PHOTO

KAMLOOPS - A man has been given a two-year prison sentence for a crime spree that ended with him being shot in the head by police in Salmon Arm.

Kaymen Winter, 23, pleaded guilty in Kamloops Provincial Court today, March 22, to several charges, including break and enter, possession of stolen property, mischief and fraud. The offences took place in Sicamous, Salmon Arm, Port Coquitlam and Nanaimo.

He was originally facing upwards of 50 charges between all of the jurisdictions, but pleaded guilty to 10.

Crown prosecutor Neil Wiberg told the court Winter went on a crime spree in January 2017, during which he broke into two car washes in the Shuswap. At one wash, he stole a phone and at another he stole approximately $400 from the coin box.

On Jan. 30, Winter stopped at the Xcalibur Car Wash in Salmon Arm. According to a detail of events released in a public report by the Independent Investigations Office, police were responding that evening to a reported theft at the car wash.

In connection to this event, Winter is pleading not guilty to charges of assaulting a peace officer with a weapon and dangerous driving, and Wiberg did not detail the circumstances of the alleged offences in court.

The public report does not identify any of the officers or Winter by name, but the circumstances line up with the Xcalibur Car Wash incident.

Winter allegedly started to drive out of one of the car wash bays after officers arrived and surrounded the wash, and according to the report, he later told the Independent Investigations Office his intent was to drive past one of the police cruisers when there was space to do so.

The report said an officer fired 14 shots at Winter's pickup truck after he allegedly attempted to flee the scene. The RCMP was cleared by the Independent Investigations Office of any wrongdoing.

A preliminary inquiry for the charges Winter is pleading not guilty to will be held in Salmon Arm and a date will be set next month. A preliminary inquiry is held to determine if there is enough evidence to proceed to trial.

Eight witnesses are expected to be called during the four-day hearing.

Wiberg also detailed the other offences Winter pleaded guilty to, which include trying to use fraudulent credit cards or identification in different stores in Port Coquitlam and Nanaimo. 

"One thing worth noting, my client was shot in the head by police," defence lawyer Matt Ford told the court.

He said that Winter told him he was handcuffed to his hospital bed the whole time he was recovering at Royal Inland Hospital from his gunshot wound.

Ford said that Winter had been using his time well while he was at Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre, and is set to achieve his Dogwood this June.

Before being sentenced, Kamloops Provincial Court Judge Chris Cleaveley heard from Winter, who apologized for his actions.

"I'm sorry for what I did, I was in a dark place," Winter said.

Winter will have to serve approximately three-and-a-half months of new time, followed by one year of probation which will prohibit him from possessing any identifying documents in anyone else's name but his own.

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