Brandon Lee Bluecloud will spend half a year in jail, mainly for two break-ins but also for other crimes influenced by his substance abuse and mental health issues.
Bluecloud, 29, from Moose Jaw, appeared by video in provincial court recently, where he pleaded guilty to 16 offences that occurred between January 2022 and February 2023.
As part of a joint submission, he received six months in jail for the two break-and-enters and 30 days’ concurrent — simultaneously — on the 14 other offences. He must provide a DNA sample and is prohibited from possessing weapons for 10 years.
Since he had already spent 63 days on remand when he appeared, the court credited him with 95 days served. Therefore, he will spend another 85 days in jail.
The most serious offences Bluecloud committed during those 13 months were the two break-ins, said Crown prosecutor Rob Parker.
One break-in occurred around 1 a.m. on Feb. 17, where Bluecloud attempted to enter an apartment, but the tenant scared him off. The second break-in happened around the same time at another apartment on Fourth Avenue Northeast. Bluecloud smashed the front building’s entrance with a hammer, but a tenant chased him away.
Police found Bluecloud on Main Street swinging a hammer, arrested him and charged him with break-enter with intent and break-enter to commit theft.
Parker then discussed some of Bluecloud’s other offences.
Around 8 p.m. on July 6, 2022, an apartment landlord called the police about Bluecloud being unlawfully in one of the suites. The landlord said the suite’s door had been damaged during a previous break-in, so she returned to clean it up and found Bluecloud inside. She told him to leave, which he did, and he was later arrested.
On Oct. 31, 2022, CIBC told police Bluecloud — a customer — had kicked in a window on High Street West. He admitted to doing it when cops found him.
On Jan. 18, 2023, around 10:50 p.m., Bluecloud walked up to a house on Athabasca Street West and ripped off the doorbell camera.
“The occupant of the home observed it happening, presumably on the doorbell camera, contacted police and followed Mr. Bluecloud … ,” said Parker, adding the homeowner received back the doorbell camera damaged.
On Jan. 20, around midnight, Bluecloud walked into the foyer of a condo building and kicked the entrance door six times, which tenants could hear on the second floor. He also flipped over a bench and then left.
On Jan. 23, he stole keys from Zion United Church after wandering around the photocopy room.
On Feb. 8 at 8:20 p.m., Bluecloud entered a building on Fairford Street East, set off fire alarms, and stabbed the wall with a “very large kitchen knife” before leaving, said Parker. Police later found 11 knives on him.
At 8 a.m. on Feb. 13, police arrested Bluecloud at the hospital — he was there for mental health concerns — because he was stabbing the walls. Besides two knives, they also found on him mail from Crescent View Retirement Villa.
On Feb. 16, police arrested him on Athabasca Street West for breaching probation by carrying weapons, including a hammer and six knives.
“Fortunately … it appears what he tends to do when he has knives is he does damage to property, with no indication that he is violent to people,” said Parker. “… perhaps it’s a manifestation of his mental health condition. It seems when those symptoms are exacerbated, he seems to produce the knives.”
Defence lawyer Tyne Hagey said Bluecloud is dealing with many issues around substance use and mental illness. He recently returned from the Battleford psychiatric centre and is on medication.
Once he is released, the John Howard Society will drive him to the hospital regularly for his medication, she added. His goals include taking his medicine regularly and finding a job.
Judge Brian Hendrickson accepted the joint submission and waived the victim surcharge since Bluecloud was unemployed.
