Man sentenced to 5 years in prison for cross-country crime spree

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/08/2010 (5770 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg man has been sentenced to five years in prison for a brazen, cross-country crime spree that left a trail of costly damage in his wake.

Matthew Martens, 19, admits spending an entire month wreaking havoc across the Prairies by stealing vehicles, gas and property – and documenting many of the crimes through photographs and videos taken by his 16-year-old girlfriend.

The images show the couple – dubbed “Bonnie and Clyde” by some justice officials – taunting police, drinking and driving, boasting to their friends and celebrating their accomplishments by dancing and making out on the top of stolen vehicles.

Martens pleaded guilty to 33 charges total, which include multiple counts of auto theft, possession of stolen property, mischief, dangerous driving and flight from police during the August to September 2009 rampage. He was sentenced  today under a joint-recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers.

He was given double-time credit for 12 months of time already spent in custody, plus another three years behind bars.

The female accused — who can’t be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act — has pleaded guilty to 21 separate crimes and is currently awaiting sentencing.

The Crown is seeking the maximum youth sentence of two years behind bars for the girl, who has a long history of similar property offences and was on probation at the time. She is a Level 4 auto thief, the highest risk category assigned by police, and has previously been turned in by her frustrated parents who are unable to control her.

Her lawyer is asking for her to be released immediately with time in custody. Provincial court Judge Rocky Pollack is expected to give his decision in early September.

The two accused were originally sentenced last June for a variety of car thefts and property crimes. She got 18 months probation, while the Martens got two years of custody less time already served. Both were ordered by the courts to stay away from each other.

In August, Martens was released on a day pass from jail to go shopping with his mother at Walmart. While browsing through the aisles, he suddenly took off, stole his mother’s car and picked up his girlfriend.

The pair then embarked on 30 days of chaos, which included stops in rural Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, court was told.

Some of the "highlights" included burning a Hummer they stole just outside Winnipeg, nearly mowing down a vehicle owner who tried to interrupt a theft in eastern Saskatchewan and scrawling lyrics to a crude "rap song" over the interior of another car they left behind to be found by police.

The pair would typically steal one vehicle, drive it for a few hours or days, cause extensive damage and then "trade" it for another one. In one case, a rural Manitoba resident woke up to go to work and found his car missing, with a damaged one sitting exactly in its place.

The pair, along with some friends, would also go on "raiding parties" in which they would damage dozens of cars at a time just for kicks. Most of these occurred in the Steinbach area.