Man gets house arrest for crime spree
Published Tuesday March 31st, 2009
SAINT JOHN - Saying "death is just around the corner" for him, Christopher Wayne Llewellyn Stackhouse asked Monday that he not be required to take any further methadone treatment.
Stackhouse made the request as he was being sentenced in provincial court for a crime spree last summer.
"I just don't want to be put on any more opiates," Stackhouse said.
Methadone is a treatment aid for opiate users, but it's also an opiate. Stackhouse claims he's been drug-free for 3½ months without the help of methadone treatment.
"It is not the magic bullet," Judge Alfred Brien agreed. "Methadone is not for every drug addict."
His addiction to Dilaudid, Stackhouse said, led him to the crime spree.
During last August and September, Stackhouse racked up seven charges. The 25-year-old stole from Atlantic Superstore, Canadian Tire, Wal-Mart, Black's Photography and Charm Diamond Centre.
On Aug. 21, Stackhouse pulled his most outrageous crime when he walked into Charm Diamond Centre at Lancaster Mall and picked out thousands of dollar worth of jewelry.
The bank draft that Stackhouse used to pay for the $7,859 in jewelry was one he had previously used. Using a pen, he doctored the draft to make it appear that it was legitimate.
The judge sentenced Stackhouse to 22 months of strict house arrest. He will also have to complete 100 hours of community service and pay restitution to the stores he stole from - the bill totals more than $8,000. He has until Jan. 2010 to pay.
"I know what I did," Stackhouse said. "That somehow has to be repaid."
While the judge gave Stackhouse credit for battling his addiction and his "apparent degree of insight" when it came to how badly he was addicted and that methadone is not a cure-all, he warned Stackhouse that jail will be waiting if he slips up.
"Words are easy to come by," Brien said.
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