A city family has turned Winnipeg into its private criminal paradise and is single-handedly filling up the court docket, costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars and putting countless innocent lives at risk.
Three brothers, aged 14, 16 and 18, are proving the bad apples don't fall far from the family tree by routinely thumbing their nose at society and its laws, a Free Press analysis shows.
The teenaged trio has already racked up at least 181 prior convictions but clearly haven't been deterred by the criminal consequences.
That's because they are currently facing a combined 77 new charges stemming from incidents that occurred within the last year, including 37 counts of failing to comply with previous sentencing orders.
There are also numerous counts of car theft, dangerous driving, fleeing the police and possessing stolen goods.
Police sources say the boys routinely laugh off their arrests and joke about how fast they can drive their stolen cars in an attempt to evade arrest.
Perhaps most alarming are the alleged recent actions of the 14-year-old boy, who told a probation officer at the age of 12 how it was "fun" to drive a stolen car at high speeds towards oncoming traffic.
The teen was arrested on Jan. 31 and accused of being involved in a violent robbery attempt where two victims, aged 20 and 26, were shot at when they refused to turn over their cash and property while walking through the North End.
The shots missed both men, who managed to flee to safety.
Police arrested the 14-year-old, along with a 19-year-old man who is of no relation, and charged them with several counts including robbery, discharging a firearm with intent and careless use of a firearm.
"The apparent escalation is very alarming," a senior justice source familiar with the family told the Free Press.
And here's more grim news -- the three boys still have four others siblings under the age of 12 who police expect to be dealing with soon based on the sad family history.
At least two young cousins have already found themselves facing charges, including a 14-year-old boy who appeared on Thursday's docket charged with eight offences including four counts of breaching prior sentences, car theft and assault.
Manitoba Public Insurance recently obtained a $110,000 judgment against the 18-year-old following one of the city's worst property crime sprees in recent history that also involved his two teen brothers and several other young co-accused.
In just the span of a few weeks beginning in late 2004, the boys were responsible for stealing five cars -- three of which were written off -- and damaging 38 others, including a police car that was destroyed in a high-speed crash.
They also sent one car smashing through the window of an empty River Heights apartment block by pinning down the accelerator with a brick -- an incident the building realtor described as an act of "terrorism."
The group also left numerous senior citizens in tears by targeting an underground parking lot in North Kildonan for most of their senseless acts of vandalism on Boxing Day 2004.
The oldest boy, who court was told acted as "ringleader" for all the destruction, received a total of one year in jail and six months of probation for his involvement. His younger co-accused received shorter stints behind bars.
Court records obtained by the Free Press show there are several other civil judgments and lawsuits pending against the three brothers to the tune of nearly $175,000 in additional damages they've already admitted to causing.
Those totals don't even include the most recent allegations, which have yet to be proven and remain before the court.
MPI officials hope that by gaining the ability to garnishee any potential future earnings and assets they will send a much stronger message to teen criminals than what they are currently getting from the courts and the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
But they admit it's possible they will never seen a single penny.
MPI can also go after parents under the Parental Responsibility Act, but spokesman Brian Smiley said they rarely go that route because they prefer to deal directly with the people responsible for the damages.
It would likely be fruitless in a case like the one involving the three brothers.
Their mother, a crack cocaine addict on welfare, has previously told the Free Press her children are "not scared" of the criminal justice system and blamed the police for going after them.
"I think the police are just putting a whole bunch of stuff on them. And they beat my boys up real good when they arrested them," she said during the 2005 interview.
She also balked at any attempts to make her pay for the sins of her sons.
"What for? I didn't do anything," she said.
All three of her sons have coming trial dates on many of their pending charges and the Free Press will be following their cases through the system.
www.mikeoncrime.com
The 18-year-old
* Oldest of 7 siblings
* Was recently ordered to pay Manitoba Public Insurance nearly $110,000 stemming from a 2004 crime spree in which 43 cars were either stolen and/or damaged
* Received a total of one year jail plus six months probation for his role as "ringleader" of the rampage
CHARGES HE IS CURRENTLY FACING
8 counts of failing to comply with previous sentencing orders
5 counts of possession of property obtained by crime
5 counts of driving while suspended
3 counts of theft over $5,000
2 counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle
1 count of theft under $5,000
1 count of escape lawful custody
1 count of motor vehicle flight from police
TOTAL: 26
The 16-year-old
* Second-oldest
* Is currently facing several lawsuits from Manitoba Public Insurance concerning previous car theft and property crime convictions
CHARGES HE IS CURRENTLY FACING
22 counts of failing to comply with previous sentencing orders
3 counts of breach of previous probation orders
2 counts of possession of property obtained by crime
1 count of theft over $5,000
1 count of motor vehicle flight from police
1 count of driving without a licence
1 count of driving while under the age of 16
1 count of possession of drugs
TOTAL: 32
The 14-year-old
* Third-oldest
* Told a probation officer at the age of 12, just prior to a sentencing hearing, that he found it "fun" to drive a stolen car at high speeds towards unsuspecting motorists in the wrong lane of traffic
* Is currently facing several lawsuits from Manitoba Public Insurance concerning previous car theft and property crime convictions
CHARGES HE IS CURRENTLY FACING
7 counts of failing to comply with previous sentencing orders
2 counts of discharging a firearm with intent
2 counts of using a firearm during the commission of an offence
2 counts of pointing a firearm
2 counts of robbery
1 count of careless use of a firearm
1 count of unauthorized use of a firearm
1 count of theft over $5,000
1 count of dangerous driving of a motor vehicle
TOTAL: 19
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