Man receives 14-month sentence for break-in

A man who broke into a Brandon business and stole dozens of items was sentenced to 14 months in jail in Brandon provincial court on Friday.

“Breaking into and stealing from a small business is a serious offence. It hurts the owner of the business as well as the people who work for them, it undermines the community’s sense of safety and here it caused obvious financial and emotional harm to the owner,” Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta said.

Javier Tellez-Villamil, 26, was convicted of breaking and entering committing theft, disguise with intent, mischief to property under $5,000 and breaching his bail order after standing trial last month.

The Crown recommended a total sentence of 14 months in custody, while defence argued for one year.

On Oct. 3, 2025, security footage from Inland Radiator and Hydraulic Works on Pacific Avenue captured Tellez-Villamil, disguised with a face covering, throwing a rock and smashing one of the windows at the business, court heard. He also broke one security camera and covered another, court heard during the trial.

Crown attorney Nikki Boggs said the footage showed Tellez-Villamil run away and return a short while later. She said he entered the business through the smashed window, and after being inside for a “quite prolonged” period of time, he removed a “large quantity” of items from the business.

The shop owner found the items the following day, alongside Tellez-Villamil, inside a nearby truck, she said.

The Crown said Tellez-Villamil also inflicted a significant amount of damage to the inside of the business.

“The level of mischief inside of the building seemed on purpose,” she said. “This wasn’t a spontaneous offence. We can see some planning or deliberation with the fact that he was wearing a face covering.”

This offence caused a disruption for the business and impacted the shop owner and his employees, she said.

Boggs said the sentence imposed needed to reflect the seriousness of the offence and send a message of deterrence and denunciation.

While the Crown said a higher sentence could be sought, she had taken into consideration Tellez-Villamil’s personal circumstances, including that he has no prior criminal record, was unhoused and has addiction issues.

Boggs asked that the sentence be followed by two years of supervised probation and that Tellez-Villamil be required to pay $1,000 in restitution to the business, which she said was the amount it had to pay for the deductible.

Defence lawyer Bob Harrison said rehabilitation is a factor the court should look at when deciding an appropriate sentence, as his client is still young.

Tellez-Villamil was using crystal methamphetamine at the time of the offence, Harrison said.

“We know that … the combination of being homeless and using drugs is never a good situation,” Harrison said.

He said this is his client’s first time in jail, which should be factored into his sentence. Harrison said since his client came from Colombia around two years ago, there will be a risk of deportation.

Hewitt-Michta said it was her job to send a message that emphasizes the seriousness of this offence and “motivates the accused and others not to behave this way.”

While Hewitt-Michta said she could justify a sentence higher than the Crown’s recommendation, she went along with a 14-month sentence, followed by two years of supervised probation. She also ordered that he pay $1,000 in restitution.

“You have no right to go into someone else’s property without their permission, no matter what your circumstances,” she told Tellez-Villamil. “Don’t ever do this kind of thing again.”

Tellez-Villamil has spent the equivalent of 399 days in custody, leaving him with under a month of custody going forward.

» sanderson@brandonsun.com