A 20-year-old Yorkton man found out the hard way March 8 that there is a big difference between the youth and adult criminal justice systems.
Judge Patrick Koskie sentenced Richard Thomas Kematch to 30 days in jail Monday for causing a disturbance and breach of probation. According to the Crown, Kematch started a fight at the City Limits Inn on the weekend. When police arrived they determined that the young man was on a probation order, which included not being in possession of or consume alcohol or attend an establishment of which the primary business is the sale of alcohol.
Kematch was charged with causing a disturbance and two counts of breach, one for not keeping the peace and the other for alcohol.
In exchange for the early guilty plea, the Crown stayed one of the breach charges.
Kematch attempted to persuade the judge to cancel his probation.
Since becoming an adult, Kematch has received escalating fines for assault, possession of alcohol and theft. Koskie explained to him that given his history, it was an easy choice to put him in jail and that if he ends up appearing again in court, he will receive even more time.
These are the realities of being an adult, Koskie told the defendant.
The judge did give Kematch a bit of a break, though, accepting the defence’s application to have his Yorkton fines in the amount of $930 defaulted and to serve that jail time concurrently.
