BY KEITH LACEY
Three Sudbury men might have got away with stealing hundreds of packs of cigarettes if an attentive couple hadnÂ?t videotaped them, then called 911.
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Police arrested the three men within minutes after a couple witnessed the break and enter, called police and gave a description of the getaway vehicle. The couple was outside at the time of the incident.
One of the thieves, Richard Denis, 24, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of break and enter, one count of failing to stop for police and one count of breach of probation.
A pre-sentence report was ordered, and Denis will return to court for sentencing on March 8.
Assistant Crown attorney Philip Zylberberg played the five-minute videotape in court Monday.
The break and enter occurred at a New Sudbury convenience store around 3 am Sept. 19, 2002.
The couple is heard describing three men approaching the store, as is their frantic 911 call after realizing a break and enter was in progress.
The three men might have got away with their crimes because the videotape shows they spent less than a minute
inside the store.
Once the couple placed the 911 call, a police siren can be heard within seconds. It was revealed in court an arrest took place shortly after not far from the scene.
Two other men involved in the break and enter, Gilles Charette and Robert Blais, both pleaded guilty earlier this year and both have already been sentenced.
Defence counsel Herve Sauve told the court he will be asking for a conditional sentence to be served in the community for Richard, while assistant Crown attorney Philip Zylberberg will be seeking an 18-month jail sentence. The couple provided police with information about two distinctive blue lights on the front of the getaway vehicle.
When the officer approaches the vehicle in question, he notices the distinctive lights and that there are three men who fit the general description provided.
When he attempts to pull the vehicle over, the vehicle will not stop, even though police sirens are blaring and the officer is within a few feet of the vehicle.
Â?Only after a second police cruiser joins the pursuit and helps the other officer box in the suspect vehicle, does it stop,Â? said Zylberberg.
Inside the vehicle, police found a tarp filled with cigarettes and other items and tools often used to break into residences.
The total amount of cigarettes stolen was 523 packages with an approximate value of $3,800, said Zylberberg.
A total of 76 cigarette lighters were also recovered.
Sauve said his clientÂ?s mother lived with one of the co-accused. He got involved in the crime even though he had been out of trouble since 1997.
Court also heard Denis has a job, has a common-law relationship, and recently became a father.
His client has been on bail for several months without any problems. Sauve and Zylberberg agreed Denis can stay
free on bail until his sentencing hearing in early March.
