ESTEVAN — A man who was arrested in an early September drug bust in Estevan has received a 22-month jail sentence after pleading guilty to four several charges.
Jason R. Dyck, age 45, pleaded guilty Dec. 15 in Estevan Provincial Court to trafficking cocaine, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, possession of methamphetamine and resisting arrest. The meth possession charge was a reduced charge, as Dyck was initially charged with possession of meth for the purpose of trafficking.
A charge of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking was stayed.
As per the terms of a joint submission, Dyck was sentenced to 22 months in custody, or 660 days, along with 12 months of probation for the trafficking cocaine charge. He also received six months for the possession of property charge, 30 days for the possession of methamphetamine offence, and 30 days for resisting arrest, all of which will be served concurrent to the 22-month custodial sentence.
Dyck had been in custody for 103 days from his arrest Sept. 4 to his sentencing, so he was given credit for 155 days remand time, leaving him with 505 days left to serve.
Crown prosecutor Kathryn Gilliss noted the EPS conducted a drug trafficking investigation and surveillance into Dyck and a co-accused, Krista Mae Grulich, in the Estevan area earlier this year.
“Mr. Dyck and Ms. Grulich were seen making short-duration meets on bikes by the police, believed to be drug deals over a period of time,” said Gilliss.
Surveillance was conducted on a home in the 400-block of Third Street that Gilliss said Grulich owned and where Dyck resided.
On Sept. 4, Gilliss said the EPS obtained a search warrant for the residence. That same day, she noted officers observed Dyck outside the residence and attempted to arrest him while he was on his bicycle.
Gilliss said a plain-clothes officer advised Dyck he was under arrest. Dyck replied he didn’t do anything, and she said he fled on his bike back to his residence.
“Police chased him and located him hiding beside a vehicle in a neighbouring yard, and he was subsequently then arrested,” said Gilliss.
A total of $340 in cash and 11.3 grams of methamphetamine were found on Dyck.
During a search of the residence, Gilliss said a number of envelopes inside a safe were seized, including envelopes and a Ziploc bag with cash, 32 dime bags of soft cocaine and 25 dime bags of crack cocaine. She added the total value of proceeds by crime was $6,541.50.
Gilliss told the court that Dyck provided a statement to police in which he acknowledged the cocaine trafficking. She noted someone suggested that he come to the Estevan area and stay at Grulich’s home.
Gilliss noted a number of considerations went into the sentence, including the punishment for the co-accused, who was recently sentenced to 24 months in custody. Fifty-seven grams of cocaine are tied to Dyck, which Gilliss said is a little less than Grulich.
The sentence also considers his criminal record, although Gilliss noted it is a dated record. And she added Dyck has shown a significant interest in rehabilitation, which the Crown used to his credit.
The probation order is “very limited”, she said, and is for the purpose of promoting abstention from controlled substances and drugs, along with additions programming as directed.
“It is not … intended to be a punitive year … following his period of custody, but it is designed to be a tool to be able to support him after he leaves the correctional centre,” said Gilliss.
Dyck also received a 10-year ban from owning firearms and a lifetime ban on owning prohibited and restricted firearms.
Dyck’s attorney Joelle Graham said he started using drugs during some marital problems. He is now separated from his wife.
“He’s going to need to ensure that he prioritizes his addiction recovery,” said Graham.
Dyck said he wished he had never trafficked drugs and he wants to be a better person for his family.
Judge Mitch Miller asked Dyck a question he often poses to those convicted of trafficking: if Dyck had thought about the negative consequences of his action on others. The judge noted he didn’t expect an answer, but Dyck said he was willing to talk about it.
“Drugs take a terrible toll on this community and they continue to do so, and it’s just sad,” said Miller.
Dyck said he has thought about what would happen if his kids purchased drugs from someone else.
“You have been thinking about it, so I appreciate that,” said Miller, noting Dyck’s road to recovery will be a long one.
Grulich was sentenced in Weyburn Provincial Court last month. She pleaded guilty to one count each of possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine, possession of the proceeds of crime over $5,000, possession of a prohibited weapon (brass knuckles), and two counts of breaching the conditions of a release order. A charge of trafficking cocaine and multiple counts of violating the terms of a release order were stayed.
Grulich received a 730-day custodial sentence for the possession for the purpose of trafficking charge. She spent 34 days in remand, and was given 51 days of remand credit that will be deducted from her sentence, leaving her with 679 days remaining.
She also received 180-day concurrent sentences for the possession of proceeds of crime and the possession of a prohibited weapon charges. Grulich also received a $150 fine for each of the three breach convictions, for a total amount of $450.
