By Chelsea Powrie, Castanet
A former South Okanagan man will see no jail time after being found guilty of breaking into an Oliver winery in 2014.
Kevin Leclerc, 53, faced a string of charges in B.C. Supreme Court in December 2022, relating to multiple accusations of theft and break-and-enter incidents dating back to 2014.
Despite Leclerc’s DNA being found at one business and four residences in the South Okanagan from late 2014 through 2017, all of which were robbed and the residences apparently squatted in, the court found him not guilty on most charges.
But one charge stuck. Leclerc was found guilty of break-and-enter with intent to commit theft at Intersection Winery in Oliver.
Court heard that on Dec. 24, 2014, the co-owner of Intersection Winery in Oliver discovered a hole in their garage door, disarray inside, 330 missing wine cases and an open bottle of wine. The bottle was swabbed, and later testing matched Leclerc.
Still, the court found that Leclerc could not be tied to actual theft of the wine beyond a reasonable doubt.
The court found him not guilty of other allegations, including squatting in empty homes in Naramata, Osoyoos and Apex Mountain.
On Monday, April 24, 2023, Leclerc appeared in Penticton court for sentencing.
The judge heard submissions from both Crown and defence, and heard that Leclerc has been doing well at a job on Vancouver Island, far away from “negative influences” of former friends in the South Okanagan.
“I’m just excited about the future here and seeing this all dealt with, the rehabilitation, and I’m sorry for what I’ve done,” Leclerc said.
Leclerc was sentenced to a one-year conditional sentence, followed by a year of probation.
