Tsiigehtchic man sentenced to 6 months in prison for dangerous driving, threats

Richard Andre was sentenced in a Yellowknife courtroom on Friday to six months imprisonment for his actions towards law enforcement officials nearly two years ago.

The now 65-year-old Tsiigehtchic resident had pleaded guilty to theft, dangerous driving and uttering threats. 

At the sentencing hearing the Crown told the court that Andre stole a bylaw service vehicle in June 2022 in Tsiigehtchic, N.W.T. and drove it recklessly around the community, periodically crashing into various structures.

It's alleged he almost hit a responding bylaw officer, who observed him as extremely intoxicated.

After being arrested by RCMP from nearby Fort McPherson, Andre racked up another charge, when he told the officers he was going to shoot them. 

Andre has a history of uttering threats, and was previously charged in 2020 after threatening to 'shoot everyone' at a Tsiigehtchic school.

For that offense, he was banned from owning a firearm for ten years, and sentenced to 18 months probation.

According to the prosecution, Andre's rap sheet goes back decades, and contains 21 crimes of violence, with 69 offenses total. The Crown asked the judge for a sentence of nine months.

The defense argued for a lesser sentence, citing Andre's struggles with alcohol and experiences in the residential school system. Andre previously lived in Yellowknife for 11 years, where he spent five of those years homeless.

"I take full responsibility," he told the judge, saying his problems came from the effects of trauma. "I was so angry from residential school."

According to the defense, Andre previously received a $300,000 dollar settlement from the federal government for his experiences in residential school.

The defense told the court that Andre is a contributing community member, who's embraced sobriety and is now seeing a counselor.

The judge, praised Andre's efforts to turn his life around but said his rap sheet speaks for itself, telling Andre that under no circumstances will alcohol make his life better.

Andre maintains he has no recollection of the incident.