Tire slasher admits guilt, denied bail

A Brandon man was denied bail Thursday after admitting he went on a tire-slashing spree earlier this year that involved 85 vehicles and cost tens of thousands of dollars in damage.

Tristan McKay, 21, pleaded guilty in Brandon provincial court to mischief over $5,000 and resisting arrest.

On March 11, the Brandon Police Service received reports from dozens of south-end residents who woke up to find their vehicle tires slashed.

Vehicles parked outside several apartment buildings — including Arbutus Place, Fernwood Estates and The Groves — had been hit during the overnight slashing spree.

Some vehicles parked on Pine Ridge Crescent, Hawthorn Crescent, Tracey Street, Sycamore Drive and Magnolia Drive also had slashed tires, police previously said.

“Eighty-five vehicles were involved, reportedly damaged by having one or multiple tires slashed by an unknown person,” Crown attorney Rich Lonstrup said in court.

Lonstrup said police gathered evidence and received a report about a person who matched the description of a suspect.

He said officers took a photograph of the suspect and matched it with footage from a surveillance video, which led them to identify McKay.

Police issued a warrant for his arrest.

Around 3 a.m. on April 15, police recognized McKay on a street in Brandon and tried to arrest him, but he fled on foot back to his residence.

He dead-bolted the back door and barricaded himself in his room, Lonstrup said.

Police were able to gain access to the home and stunned McKay with a Taser when he continued to resist officers, he said.

Defence lawyer Andrew Synyshyn said McKay told him he couldn’t recall slashing any tires, but he did remember later running from police.

Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta asked McKay how many cars he slashed that evening and he replied, “I don’t even know, like 23 cars, maybe.”

McKay also told Hewitt-Michta that he ran from police “because they were trying to stop me.”

After McKay entered guilty pleas, the defence presented a bail application plan for his possible release, which was later denied by the judge.

The plan was for McKay to either live at his home in Brandon with his father and siblings or stay with his grandmother in Crane River before his sentencing.

Synyshyn noted there were “some concerns from the court that residing in Brandon would be difficult for Mr. McKay given the offences.”

The bail plan also subjected McKay to a “tight curfew” where he would spend most of his day at home and wouldn’t be able to leave without the presence of an adult. The plan did not include a surety for the accused, Synyshyn said.

Lonstrup argued McKay has repeatedly failed to comply with past court orders, has numerous weapons convictions and is a danger to the community.

“There may not be violence here, but there was sustained damage, and he was a threat that night,” the Crown said.

In her decision to deny McKay bail, Hewitt-Michta said she was worried about the damage he caused, the number of people he hurt as a result and his history of failing to comply with court orders.

“I’m not saying there’s no way for you to get bail,” she told him.

“I would have given you bail if there was a good plan for someone to supervise you, and to have something to lose if they didn’t supervise you.”

The court ordered a pre-sentence report that will assess McKay’s personal history and cognitive health and well-being.

McKay has already completed a fitness assessment, which found he has no history of any identified psychiatric disorder and can understand and participate in court proceedings.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com