Harvey to spend seven days in slammer

By Scott NeufeldWednesday, January 24, 2007 http://www.dailycourier.ca/article_908.php

Former Vernon mayor Sean Harvey will be spending the next week behind bars. Harvey admitted in Salmon Arm court on Tuesday that he had breached his house arrest conditions on three separate occasions. Judge Brad Chapman, who appeared via video, lifted Harvey’s conditional sentence for seven days which means he will have to spend that period of time in jail.“He definitely admitted he had breached (his conditions) on three occasions by being in places he shouldn’t be,” said Crown counsel Bill Hilderman. Harvey was immediately taken into custody after the judge’s decision. Hilderman said it is now up to Corrections B.C. whether or not Harvey will have to serve the entire seven days in jail or if his day spent in jail prior to his court appearance will shorten his time served.

The former mayor was spotted on Oct. 6 at the Staples in Kelowna, Dec. 27 or 28 at the Starbucks in Vernon and on Dec. 29 witnesses saw him at the TJ’s Kids clothing store in Kelowna. The defence argued that Harvey did have permission to leave the house at those times, Hilderman said.“There is an exception for him to pick up his kids,” Hilderman said. “They said he was in fact allowed to be out on those dates but not in those businesses.”Chapman is the same judge who handed Harvey a suspended sentence in September.

The initial sentence placed Harvey under house arrest for six months. For the following six months he is under a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. After that Harvey is on probation for one year. Harvey is also required to complete 160 hours of community service.Under the original sentence Harvey was ordered to pay the $300 per month until he has repaid the balance of what he took from the city. Harvey pleaded guilty to breach of public trust in August after admitting to making phony expense claims totalling more than $13,000 while he was the mayor of Vernon.Harvey’s lawyer, Ian McTavish, was unavailable for comment by press time.