A Vernon man who allegedly broke into a home only to be fended off by a senior with a cane has been granted bail.
Justin Wade Inverarity, 34, appeared via video in Vernon Law Courts courtroom 201 before Judge Richard Hewson Tuesday, July 17, where he was granted bail after Hewson heard defence Norman Yates and crown prosecutor Nina Johnsen’s joint submission.
Related: Bail hearing set for suspect fended off by senior with cane
Inverarity was released on a bail amount of $2,000 without deposit or sureties and faces 17 bail conditions, including that he must keep the peace and be of good behaviour; have no contact or communication with alleged victims; must not leave British Columbia without written permission of his bail supervisor; be within 75 metres of the front door of his residence between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.; must not possess any keys except for premises of which he is lawfully entitled; must not occupy the driver’s seat of any motor vehicle and must not enter any motor vehicle, other than public transportation, unless the registered owner is in the vehicle.
Related: Vernon senior beats back armed intruder with cane
Reports allege that the accused attempted to break into an 84-year-old woman’s home in the 1000 block of 30th Avenue shortly before 5 a.m. July 4.
The woman fended off the suspect, who was allegedly armed with an axe and hammer, with her cane and called 9-1-1.
She told police that someone had just broken the window of their front door and was attempting to gain access by reaching through the broken window to unlock the door from the inside.
The homeowner managed to prevent the suspect from gaining entry to her home by hitting the man on his hands with her cane, but he was able to get keys and gained entry into the attached garage.
Police quickly arrived at the residence and found the suspect male still in the garage. Reportedly armed with an axe and a hammer, the suspect male became combative towards the officers.
“The officers attempted to negotiate with the male to drop the weapons, however, he allegedly made it clear that he wasn’t going to jail and would do anything to prevent that,” said RCMP Const. Kelly Brett.
The officers then used a Taser in an effort to stop the suspect. However, they deployed the device twice as the man continued to fight with police.
“The actions of the man clearly could have resulted in serious injuries to himself, the victim, or our officers,” said Acting Operations Officer, Sgt. Tory Romailer. “We commend our officers for their quick response and ability to resolve a violent situation safely.”
Inverarity is charged with an offence of break and enter, attempted theft of a motor vehicle, mischief, assault and breach of probation and will appear in Vernon Law Courts Aug. 9 to consult counsel.
None of the charges against him have been proven in court.
@VernonNews
parker.crook@vernonmorningstar.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.