Jake Soros pleaded guilty to motor vehicle theft in a Penticton courtroom, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK
February 25, 2022 - 12:30 PM
A man will spend two years on probation for stealing a Harley Davidson that was never recovered.
Jake Knute Soros, born 1987, pleaded guilty to motor vehicle theft in a Penticton courtroom this morning, Feb. 25. The crime occurred in Keremeos on June 13.
He was facing three other charges in relation to the incident – assault with a weapon, uttering threats and assault causing bodily harm – but they were stayed.
Judge Greg Koturbash was told by defence lawyer Olivia Whynot that the victim learned her motorcycle had been taken from a shed on her property.
READ MORE: Police investigating homicide in Keremeos
A police investigation revealed that Soros – who is known to the victim – loaded the bike up onto a trailer towed by a red Chevrolet Suburban. Soros had help loading the Harley from another man.
“Ultimately the trailer was taken up the mountain road, allegedly to a chop shop,” Whynot said. “The result is that the owner... did not get her bike back.”
Soros, who is in custody on unrelated charges, said he wants to change his ways so he can see his dogs and go back to work.
“I don’t want to live this life... I’m really sick of this whole thing,” he told the judge.
Whynot spoke about the recent struggles that Soros has faced.
Soros is Metis and his grandmother attended residential school, she said. Two years ago, he suffered nerve damage to his leg after being stabbed.
Whynot said courts recognize that time spent incarcerated during the pandemic has been harsher. While in prison he fell twice, hitting his head one time and his shoulder the other, which happened because he wasn’t given proper footwear, she said. And three years ago he was diagnosed with PTSD as a result of his experience in prison.
Soros has substance abuse issues which are “the underlying cause of his criminality,” Whynot said, adding he has been able to focus on sobriety while in custody. He was in a serious relationship that fell apart after he went to jail. While he has “fantastic” family support, his mom died in 2017.
Currently, Soros is focusing on holistic healing and has a mentor who is a Metis elder.
The penalty for Soros – a two-year suspended sentence with two years of probation – was a joint submission from the Crown and defence that Judge Koturbash “reluctantly” agreed to.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Dan Walton or call 250-488-3065 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, 2022