Alex Kurial/Local Journalism Initiative

A man who plead guilty to stealing from Habitat for Humanity’s Restore won’t spend any extra time in prison.
Joseph Boose, 22, plead guilty to stealing more than $5,000 in supplies, being in a stolen truck and breaking curfew. Sarnia Court heard early April 20, Boose and another person broke into a locked trailer at the store on London Line. They took $5,534 worth of DeWalt tools and a large toolbox before leaving.
His Lawyer, Nick Cake, says this isn’t the first time Boose has faced charges.
“The record is quite illustrative of a young man who, from an early age, has suffered with an addiction to opiates,” Cake says. “It’s illustrative of where Mr. Boose’s life was, where it is, and potentially where it’s going. But hopefully not.”
“He’s on track to serve a life sentence two to three years at a time. He’s basically been institutionalized since the age of 18,” says Cake. “Mr. Boose is quickly coming to realize that unless he gets his opioid addiction under wraps, this is going to be life until an overdose takes him away.”
Boose got 30 days for being in a vehicle he knew was stolen in January. He received 60 days for stealing the tools from the Re-Store, and 20 days for a curfew breach in July. The 110 day sentence was covered by Boose’s 93 days in custody, enhanced to 140.
“It’s certainly not an enviable record for someone of his age,” says Cake. “I’m not saying they aren’t serious crimes, or that our community isn’t fed up with crimes such as this. But rather that Mr. Boose has a very extreme addiction… He’s an individual who is suffering from an addiction, and acting out in order to feed the addiction.”
Boose, speaking from the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre in London, admits a change is needed.
“The result of all my behavior comes down to my addiction. The time I’ve put in since I got arrested I’ve been looking into different rehabs. Hopefully I can get into a treatment center and get the help I need.”
Despite his credit for time served on these crimes, Boose remains in jail on other charges. He’ll return to Sarnia Court on Jan. 12. When Boose is eventually released he’ll serve 18 months of probation. He’ll also repay Habitat for Humanity the full amount for the tools he stole.
Justice Deborah Austin accepted the sentence despite reservations saying the crime had impacted the community adversely.