Jason Ross Cameron appears in this Dec. 28, 2018 photo.

Image Credit: B.C. RCMP

Prolific offender Jason Ross Cameron was already banned from driving when he decided to steal a Ford F-350 in Chase and take it for a spin.

In July 2022, Cameron swiped the pickup in Chase and drove at erratic speeds, at one point attempting to hit the truck's owner who had gathered his friends to try and track down his vehicle.

Cameron is a "known property offender" who'd left residents in the rural area around Notch Bill "frustrated."

He appeared at Salmon Arm court today, April 25, via video from jail waiting to hear about how much more time he'd spend behind bars.

READ MORE: RCMP looking for suspect after 'costly' vandalism to storefront windows in Kelowna

The court heard after he stole the Ford truck he drove through ditches and a barbed wire fence before ditching the vehicle in a field.

When police arrived they found the truck still idling with two boxes of ammunition on the seat. They called in the emergency response team, air services and every police officer in the area to search for Cameron.

After ditching the truck, the 45-year-old retrieved a stolen motorbike he'd hidden in a bush. He sped off on the 400cc Suzuki before crashing it and continuing on foot.

From there he broke into a Ministry of Forests building and stole an ATV.

While an extensive manhunt took place, Cameron managed to evade police with the help of an unknown person.

Well known to police they easily identified Cameron and days later put out a media release urging the public for help to find him.

Under circumstances not discussed in court, he was arrested almost two weeks later.

A prolific offender with more than a dozen convictions under his belt, Cameron remained in custody until December last year, having been released on a "significant" cash bail.

He lived in Tappen with the person who had bailed him out, but earlier this month, the day before he was due back in court to be sentenced, he broke off his electronic monitor.

A tamper alert went off at 4:30 a.m., but by the time police arrived an hour later he wasn't there. He was however arrested later that day.

READ MORE: Kamloops bat attacker's home listed for $850,000

The court heard how Cameron had a lengthy criminal record with driving offences going back to 1994 - just after he would have got his licence. He has four convictions for break and enters, and one for dangerous driving along with multiple breaches.

While police were initially concerned after finding the ammunition, Cameron wasn't charged with any weapons-related crimes and there was no mention of any firearm being present during his crime spree.

There was also no mention as to why Cameron had gone on the crime spree. It doesn't appear he did it for financial gain and there was no suggestion he tried to sell or profit from stealing any of the vehicles.

The court heard how Cameron had grown up in Vernon, he'd come from a good home and was a skilled mechanic.

He's a widower with three children, two of which live with grandparents, while the other is now an adult.

He'd been working in an auto body shop while on bail and prior to ripping off his electronic tag had abided with his conditions.

Cameron apologized to the judge for removing the electronic bracelet saying it was "pretty foolish" but didn't acknowledge his crimes when asked if he wanted to say anything to the judge.

READ MORE: Kamloops RCMP on the hunt for a fire bug

Ultimately, he was sentenced to 14 months jail, which with time already served means he'll spend a little over a year behind bars. He was also banned from driving for another two years.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Ben Bulmer or call (250) 309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2023