November 19, 2013
For The New Brunswick Beacon

BY: NICOLA MACLEOD

Jessie William Densmore, 25, was sentenced to 40 days in jail this morning for public mischief and breach of probation in New Brunswick Provincial Court in Fredericton.

“I don’t know why I did what I did that night,” said Densmore. “I was drunk and stupid.”

At 2:45 a.m. on June 17, 2012, a man who said his name was Chris called 911 to report a break and enter. He said a man kicked down his door and threatened to kill him. The aggressor was wearing a white sweater and had a gun.

Police traced the call to a cell phone in the Lake George area. One officer recognized the phone owner’s address, as he had been there earlier that evening looking for someone.

When police responded to the address, the owner said her phone was a Pay As You Go that she believes had been stolen from her house.

Meanwhile, Chris continued to call 911 repeatedly. When the dispatcher asked him where he was located, he told them he didn’t know.

An hour later, police found a man walking along the side of the road who matched the description given by Chris of the aggressor. It was Jessie Densmore. He had bloodshot eyes and had clearly been drinking. He had also been calling 911 the entire time under the alias of “Chris”

“I have real difficulty trying to figure out why somebody would do this,” said Justice Mary Jane Richards.

“It’s not the most serious of public mischief. You didn’t get someone else arrested, you got yourself arrested, which is bizarre.”

The Crown asked that Densmore receive time in jail, as he kept RCMP officers busy all night for no reason.

“911 is busy enough given the circumstances,” said the Crown.

The Defence asked that Densmore serve his sentence on weekends.

“I finally got myself a stable job that I like and I don’t want to lose it,” said Densmore. “If I get incarcerated, I will lose it.”

Densmore has a history with drugs and alcohol. He has 3 children and is in a common-law relationship.

He has ADHD, but hasn’t taken medication since the sixth grade. His pre-sentence report says he doesn’t believe in medication.

“It sounds really immature to say you don’t believe in medication but you’ve done every drug under the sun,” said Justice Richards.

“If you had diabetes would you take insulin? If you had a heart condition, would you take heart medication?”

“Yeah,” Densmore softly said.

“It’s like using glasses if you have trouble seeing,” said Justice Richards, who agreed to sentence Densmore to 10 days and 30 days in jail for the charges of mischief and breach of probation respectively. He will serve his sentence on weekends in Saint John in order to keep his construction job.

Justice Richards explained to Densmore that he did not do this because he has ADHD, as lots of people with ADHD do not do this.

Densmore told the court he hasn’t had a doctor in six years.

“But it’s your responsibility to go out and find one,” said Justice Richards. “At 25, it’s time to start looking after yourself.”