Justin Jennings is led into provincial court in St. John’s to be sentenced on several charges, including two counts of dangerous driving.
Justin Jennings was sentenced today in provincial court in St. John’s. With credit given for time served, the 31-year-old has just over a year left on his term.
The sentence, handed down by Judge Jim Walsh, includes one year’s probation, a lifetime weapons prohibition, traffic violation fines totalling over $3,000 and a four-year driving suspension.
Jennings was convicted of several charges, including two counts of dangerous driving, five counts of breaching court orders, along with single counts of possessing a prohibited weapon, possessing a firearm without a licence, refusing the breathalyzer, evading police and possessing illegal drugs.
Some of the charges were laid as a result of an incident that happened on July 3, 2015.
Police tried to stop Jennings, who was wanted in connection with an extortion and assault case, but he refused to stop, smashing into several police cars along the way on a dirt road near Foxtrap.
When he was finally taken into custody, officers found $490 in his car, along with 66 Demerol tablets, which had a street value of up to $15 per pill, totalling almost $1,000.
He was released on bail in the fall of 2015.
Jennings was taken back into custody on June 7 of this year. That’s after police arrived at his Paradise house after receiving a call of a possible suicide attempt and spotted Jennings in a car in the driveway. He was out past his curfew.
Officers blocked the vehicle Jennings was driving with a police car, but Jennings smashed into the police car, pushing it across the street and almost over an embankment.
When officers arrested Jennings, they noticed a strong smell of alcohol, but he refused requests for a breath sample.
Jennings was driving with no insurance, licence or registration. The car he was driving also had false stickers.
Jennings has an extensive criminal record, which includes convictions for such offences as possessing stolen property, causing a disturbance, possessing illegal drugs, resisting arrest, carrying a concealed weapon, assault causing bodily harm and assault.
Jennings had been tried on the extortion and assault charges in a high-profile case a few months ago, but was found not guilty, as the judge called into question the witnesses’ credibility.
