Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince George Citizen
A man pleaded guilty July 23 in Provincial Court to escaping from a mental health ward in Prince George, stealing a pickup truck and fleeing to McBride, where he ended up in someone else’s house watching Netflix in late 2023.
Court heard Cody James Douglas Baker was being held under the Mental Health Act on Dec. 12, 2023, when he left the hospital wearing hospital clothes and stole a pickup truck. He got away from a security guard and drove to McBride, where the truck ran out of gas.
“It was December and -20 or -30 C and cold,” Judge Cassandra Malfair said. “So he walked over to a residence, used a rock, broke a basement window, went inside and essentially made himself at home, ate, watched some Netflix, went into a bedroom and went to bed.”
The homeowner received a security alert on her phone and called her brother. He arrived and confronted Baker, who was locked in a bedroom watching TV. Baker left without incident and was arrested a short time later.
The homeowner told a Crown lawyer that, although she was frightened and troubled by the incident, she supported the proposed non-custodial sentence.
“It was clear to them at the time that Mr. Baker was not in his right mind,” Malfair said. “They are showing a measure of compassion with respect to Mr. Baker being there, which I accept was not for the purpose of committing your standard criminal enterprise, but was out of necessity looking for a place to stay.”
Crown prosecutor Alex Dawson said Baker’s addiction “undoubtedly exacerbated his mental health issues.”
“It’s notable that, when Mr. Baker is properly medicated to take care of himself, he seems to have no issue with the justice system whatsoever,” Dawson said.
Baker also admitted to stealing a GMC Sierra that was left idling outside a residence on April 14, 2024.
Baker’s criminal record includes a 2017 conviction for flight from police and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, for which he received a 60-day conditional sentence and 12 months’ probation. He was also convicted of mischief after a stolen vehicle was stopped by a spike belt in November 2023.
Malfair accepted the joint sentencing submission from the Crown and defence, ordering Baker to serve an 18-month conditional sentence with a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, followed by two years’ probation. She also prohibited him from possessing drugs, alcohol, firearms or ammunition and ordered him to attend a forensic psychiatric services program.
