A man was sentenced in provincial court Friday in Victoria for a late-night robbery at a Courtenay business a year ago.
Michael D.R. Heatley was sentenced, after a plea, for one robbery count to a 573-day jail sentence, along with a two-year probation term. His sentence also includes a DNA order and lifetime firearms ban. Another charge against him, for disguising his face with intent to commit an offence, was stayed.
On April 27, 2020, members of the Comox Valley RCMP Major Crime Unit arrested him for a robbery committed earlier that month. The unit had picked up the investigation, with the assistance of the Integrated Forensic Identification Section, Police Dog Services, Comox Valley RCMP Street Crimes Unit and front-line members. Police also credited the public for providing tips that helped them identify Heatley.
“Investigators worked tirelessly to identify a suspect in this case,” Cpl. Matt Holst of the Comox Valley RCMP Major Crime Unit said in a news release at the time. “There were a lot of long hours that went into this investigation, including the execution of search warrants, surveillance and examining video footage from multiple local businesses.”
The search began after the robbery on April 3, 2020, which occurred about 3:30 a.m. At that time, the suspect entered the 7-Eleven at the 400-block of Ryan Road wearing a hoodie and bandana around his face, according to the RCMP news release. He demanded all the money behind the counter, then left and was last seen running toward Headquarters Road.
mike.chouinard@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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