Man fined for towing, damaging prosecutor’s car

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/02/2024 (846 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Brandon man was slapped with a $1,000 fine for towing and damaging a Crown attorney’s car last summer.

Kyle Mitchell Robinson pleaded guilty in provincial court on Thursday to a mischief charge after damaging a car he later learned belonged to a Brandon prosecutor.

Lisa Labossiere, a lawyer prosecuting the case due to it being a conflict of interest for the Crown, read the facts of the case in court.

On July 9, 2023, upon waking up in the morning, one of Brandon’s Crown attorneys received a message from her landlord stating that her car was blocking the entrance to the parking lot and had a note attached to it.

When the woman went to look at her vehicle, she noted that it had been moved several metres from where she had parked it and that it was damaged in several areas.

There was a note on the car that read: “You’re in my f—ing spot, c—.”

A police officer spoke to a neighbour, who said she did not know the person who had that parking stall, but that he drove a big black truck. The officer located the vehicle, ran the plates, and learned that the truck belonged to Robinson.

The officer made multiple attempts to contact Robinson, but was unable to reach him.

Surveillance footage reviewed by the officer showed Robinson arriving in his truck and placing the note on the victim’s car. He then left the parking lot and returned, this time with a chain.

He attached the chain to the front of his truck and to the rear of the victim’s vehicle. He then got back in his truck, reversed it and dragged the victim’s car out of the parking stall toward the entrance of the lot.

On July 24, the officer was able to contact Robinson at his workplace and he agreed to go to BPS to be arrested the following day.

Labossiere said Robinson’s actions were much more serious than a brief fit of anger because of the extent to which he went to remove the victim’s car.

“Certainly, there was a lot of time for the accused to cool down and rethink his actions, which he did not do,” the lawyer said.

Robinson’s defence lawyer, Andrew Synyshyn, told the court his client feels embarrassed for the way he reacted that day. At the time, the lawyer added, Robinson had been struggling with depression after the recent loss of his mother.

Synyshyn said Robinson is a hard worker and has a young daughter to take care of, and now he will have to pay a significant sum of money to the court instead of using it to care for her.

Robinson told the court he was embarrassed by his actions and that it wasn’t personal, as he said he had no idea who the victim was.

Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta, noting the language used in the note, asked if Robinson knew the victim was a woman. He said no.

Ultimately, Hewitt-Michta agreed the fine was an appropriate sentence for Robinson and said she was glad to hear some words of remorse from him.

“I think embarrassing is a good sentiment, I’m glad to hear that word today,” she said. “I think that’s exactly one of the emotions that you should be feeling. The behaviour here is really shameful.”

In addition to the $1,000 fine, Robinson was also sentenced to pay $200 in restitution for the sum the Crown attorney had to pay as a deductible on her car insurance.

Robinson has other charges, for a breach of a probation order and theft, that remain before the court. His next court appearance for those charges is March 25.

» gmortfield@brandonsun.com

» X: @geena_mortfield