A man found hiding out in an unfinished Fort Langley home has received a prison sentence of more than two years for four charges.
On Nov. 23, Matthew Wayne Ostrander, 29, was sentenced to 28 months for four counts: two of breaking and entering, being unlawfully in a dwelling, and breaching his probation.
While the sentencing range for breaking and entering is fairly broad, provincial Crown spokesperson Neil MacKenzie noted that this means Ostrander will be sent to federal, rather than provincial prison.
“Any sentence in the federal system is a significant sentence,” MacKenzie said.
In late October, Langley RCMP issued a public appeal for information about Ostrander, asking for help in locating him.
Ostrander was wanted for an alleged June 4 break and enter in the Fort Langley area.
“Ostrander is comfortable moving about in the bush and was last seen in the Fort Langley area around the Houston trail,” Cpl. Holly Largy wrote in a press release at the time.
A few weeks later, on Nov. 13, Ostrander was arrested by the Emergency Response Team and Lower Mainland Dog Services officers.
Just before 7:30 a.m. on that day, a witness reported a man sleeping in a home that was under construction, and identified him as possibly being the wanted man.
Police surrounded the home and found Ostrander hiding in the crawl space.
Items found during the arrest led police to another break and enter that hadn’t even been discovered or reported yet.
At the time of his arrest, there were warrants for Ostrander for the June break and enter, as well as for a breach of probation charge in the town of Quinte West, Ont., and for charges of possession of a firearm and careless use of a firearm in Belleville, Ont. in 2012, for Mischief, uttering threats, and two other breaches of probation in 2011.