Chalk one up for Campbell River’s “CIS” investigators.
All it took was a single fingerprint to identify the culprit who broke into two vehicles parked in the 700 block of Robron Road.
Kurtis Timothy, 26, appeared in Campbell River provincial court on Monday where pleaded guilty to the attempted theft.
According to his lawyer, Peter Hertzberg, the single fingerprint and how it got there would have been a “live issue” at trial, but instead Timothy chose to plead guilty in order to move forward in his life.
“The battle for sobriety can be long and hard for some. That’s the case for Mr. Timothy,” said Hertzberg.
Timothy struggles with drug addiction and a relapse led to the vehicle break-ins which occurred overnight on April 6-7.
According to Crown prosecutor Bruce Goddard, a decorative knife was taken from a Ford pickup and a GPS stolen from a Dodge minivan, but both were later recovered.
A screwdriver tip was also found broken off in the ignition of the minivan which cost $295 to replace.
A forensic investigator with the Campbell River RCMP was able to lift a single fingerprint off the bottom of a box which typically sat on the console of the minivan, but was found moved following the break-in.
The print came back as a match for Timothy who has a history of committing property crimes. He was later arrested in Nanaimo on another matter and held in custody.
For the attempted theft, Timothy received a 30-day jail sentence and one year probation.
Hertzberg added that Timothy wants to go back to a drug rehabilitiation centre after his release in jail. Hertzberg said Timothy wants to try and be a good father and provider for his three-year-old daughter.