AN identity thief who disarmed a police officer of her Taser during an attempt to arrest him has been sent to jail for 11 months.
Daniel Adam Suchecki, 32, was high on crystal meth when he scuffled with a North Vancouver RCMP officer on Grouse Mountain and took her Taser from her after pushing her over a chair on Feb. 21 this year.
At the time, the officer was trying to arrest Suchecki for buying ski passes with stolen credit card information then getting cash refunds from the ski resort.
After he disarmed the officer, Suchecki ran away and jumped into a car, making a getaway. After he fled Grouse Mountain, another officer on Capilano Road stopped Suchecki. But Suchecki quickly accelerated away as that officer was leaning in to talk to him. Police called off the chase as too dangerous after Suchecki clipped another car at Highway 1 and Taylor Way. He was arrested at the construction site where he worked Feb. 24.
On Monday, Judge Doug Moss of the North Vancouver provincial court sentenced Suchecki to 18 months in jail, but gave him seven months' credit for time already spent in custody. Moss handed down the sentence after Suchecki pled guilty to several charges, including assault of a police officer, flight from a police officer, unauthorized use of credit card data and operating a vehicle while disqualified.
Moss also put Suchecki three years on probation and banned him from driving for three years.
Crown counsel Peter Stabler said Suchecki's criminal spree began when he broke into an underground parking garage in Coquitlam on Jan. 16 of this year and took the owner's credit cards.
A day later, he used the credit card to buy six Grouse Mountain ski passes online. He later proceeded to get refunds for the passes.
On Feb. 6, Suchecki again used the credit card information to buy a gift card and ski pass, worth more than $800. Grouse Mountain staff were already looking into the transactions as suspicious when staff spotted him at the mountain Feb. 21 and called police.
Stabler noted Suchecki was on probation for a previous identity theft conviction at the time he committed the crimes. He was also prohibited from driving.
Suchecki's defence lawyer said his client has been a crystal meth addict since he was a teenager.
In handing down his sentence, Moss told Suchecki he had "an abysmal criminal record."
