Vernon thief who swiped $9,000 in goods from computer store, broke in again a week later

The owner of a Vernon computer repair store hadn’t finished dealing with his last break-in when he was targeted again in August last year.

A week earlier, 32-year-old Mackenzie Alexander Ray Russell, wrapped in the throes of a severe fentanyl addiction, had used a giant rock to smash the window of the Bassani Tech computer store.

Russell made his way into the store dripping blood as he did and swiped laptops, tablets and a few iPhones. In total, the electronics were worth more than $9,000. None of the stolen items were ever recovered.

Police took swabs of the blood for DNA samples.

A week later, Russell broke in again, stole more stuff, and dropped a lighter containing his DNA.

He’d only just got out of prison a couple of weeks earlier, after using a rock to smash the window of a Shell gas station to break in.

Months after he ripped off the computer store, he headed to downtown Vernon and threw a rock at the glass window of the long-standing household goods store Scattered Goods.

The rock bounced off the window, and he had to smash the glass with his shoulder before getting in. He headed for the tills and smashed them on the ground, getting at the cash. He stuffed his pockets with about $300, and the break-in cost the owner $1,200 to repair.

A few hours later, near Lincoln Lanes bowling Vernon RCMP saw him, and he took off with officers following on foot.

He emptied his pockets as he ran, dropping the cash on the ground. Nearby homeless people were quick to run over and scavenge the money.

In an effort to get away, Russell jumped into the creek and injured himself. He was finally arrested.

He was taken away in an ambulance and overdosed on his way to the hospital. He’s been in custody ever since.

On Feb. 11, Russell appeared in court from custody and pleaded guilty to the break-ins.

“These commercial break-and-enters impact both the local business owners, their families, their employees, and the community,” Crown prosecutor Angela Ross told the court. “The impact on a sole proprietor business was both significant in terms of financial losses, but also (the business owner) mentions that he had significant emotional losses for the time and energy that he had put into building his business and being the victim of break-and-enters.”

The prosecutor said the business wasn’t insured, highlighting that the store was broken into a second time before it could even secure itself after the first break-in. Russell has no ability to pay for what he stole, and none of it was recovered.

Police only managed to recover $55 for Scattered Goods after Russell emptied his pockets while running from police.

The Crown argued he should spend between 14 and 20 months behind bars.

Defence lawyer Claire Mastop argued for a far lighter sentence.

She said Russell suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome and had been “in the system” since he was five years old. His mother was a residential school survivor, and he’d grown up largely in foster care and suffered abuse.

“At the time of the offences, he was heavily using substances, particularly fentanyl,” Mastop said. 

The lawyer said he was sober now in custody and had been doing really well.

“He isn’t the person you see in his criminal record,” Mastop said. “He has tried a lot… he has a lot of obstacles… He has made efforts to get past the intergenerational addiction issues that he’s struggled with.

“It’s important not to squash his hopes and efforts in terms of becoming a productive member of society… he has aspirations to complete his school… and get into auto mechanics.”

When asked if he wanted to speak, Russell said he wanted to apologize to the business owners.

“There’s really nothing I can say. I understand what I did was wrong. I do take responsibility for it,” he told the court. “When I was in my drug addcition I was willing to do anything.”

BC Provincial Court Judge Jeremy Guild commented on how well spoken Russell was.

“You made some good choices while in custody, keep making those good choices,” the judge said.

Accounting for the six months Russell had already spent behind bars, which equated to nine months with credit, Judge Guild sentenced Russell to 16 days more jail.