Tommy Biron has just received a six-year prison sentence after confessing to being the author of a series of crimes committed between November 2023 and February 2024 in Centre-de-la-Mauricie. The 43-year-old admitted to breaking into a house in Trois-Rives seven months ago, and pleaded guilty to robbery, car theft and fraudulent use of bank cards.
Hearing a noise, the resident went to the basement to discover two hooded individuals. He is pepper-sprayed while being threatened with being shot if he doesn’t get out of there. He has his wallet stolen.
The two individuals then fled in a vehicle in order to fraudulently use the victim’s bank cards in a business. Alerted, police officers from the Sûreté du Québec began pursuing the vehicle, but the driver of the latter refused to comply. The police install a studded mat on the road. The vehicle managed to drive approximately 200 meters after traveling on the carpet, but its occupants were finally arrested.
An odor of cayenne pepper emanates from the vehicle in which a canister of this product and the complainant’s wallet were found by the police.
The police findings are not limited to these objects. During the search of Biron, they found 135 methamphetamine tablets and six grams of cannabis resin.
Biron was not quite finished with justice at this time. The police noticed signs of drug use in his home. The problem is that he is the driver of the vehicle. In addition, this vehicle was stolen the day before from a pharmacy parking lot because it was a delivery car.
Urinalysis showed the presence of cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA. That’s why he pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle while impaired by drugs and possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking. He also admitted failing to stop while being pursued by police.
A week before the crimes committed in Trois-Rives, Biron was in Shawinigan when an individual parked his vehicle near a convenience store. Biron tried to seize the manual transmission vehicle left running, but the engine stalled. In addition to pointing at the individual with a penknife and punching him twice, Biron smashed the car’s windshield by throwing an object.
The latter thus pleaded guilty to charges of assault and attempted car theft.
Candy, energy drink and cleaning products
On November 13, 2023, Biron went shopping in a Super C in Shawinigan. He is with a child in a stroller. He uses the stroller to hide various products totaling nearly $200.
The man is intercepted on the way out. In addition to the stolen items, two knives were spotted in the stroller. He was found in possession of three methamphetamine pills. This is why he admitted his guilt to stealing from the business, possessing drugs and breaking a court order.
“Versatile” criminal
By suggesting the imposition of such a sentence in agreement with Biron’s lawyer, Me Serge Milette, Me Émilie Goulet reminded Judge David Bouchard on Monday that the individual is a regular in the courts. Describing the individual as “versatile”, the prosecution’s lawyer recalled his numerous prior records: driving a vehicle while impaired causing bodily harm, fraud, obstruction, firearms offences, etc.
He received a 16-month prison sentence in 2023 for property crimes. Two years ago, the court sentenced him to 15 months in prison for simple possession of drugs and property crimes. In 2017, he received a four-month prison sentence for an assault charge. Twenty months’ imprisonment was imposed on him in 2016 for breaking and entering and driving a motor vehicle while disqualified.
“What characterizes you is that you are highly criminalized and in matters which are generalized. In short, you have several offenses on your record.”
— Judge David Bouchard
Subtracting the time served in preventive detention, the net sentence to be served is just over five years.
Biron will have to provide a DNA sample. A ban on possessing firearms for 10 years is imposed on the individual who is subject to a ban on driving a motor vehicle for five years.
