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Chilliwack man gets conditional sentence for home break-in

Kristopher Thomas Bradley Vandenbrink was sentenced for several property crimes
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A Chilliwack man was sentenced for several property crimes Wednesday (Nov. 30), coming away with two months jail time and a six month conditional sentence.

The stiffest penalty for Kristopher Thomas Bradley Vandenbrink, 29, related to a home break-in that happened May 7, 2022. Vandenbrink admitted to busting into a house on Hodgins Avenue. No one was home at the time, but neighbours saw him going in. They tried to keep him from getting out by holding a garage door shut, but Vandenbrink muscled his way through and ran away.

That victory was short-lived. Police tracked him down and arrested him, with Vandenbrink still holding items he’d taken from the house. For that he pleaded guilty to one count of break and enter, receiving a conditional six-month sentence followed by 12 months probation. The conditional sentence includes a curfew between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. along with a ban on using drugs/alcohol and a ban on carrying any item that could be used to commit a crime.

On Apr. 8, 2022 Vandenbrink was caught on video in a Spadina Avenue parking garage. On April 11, 2022 he was on camera again, breaking into a car to steal a backpack. Police found him within minutes, still carrying keys and ID that linked him to the first crime.

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For that he pleaded guilty to theft $5,000 or under and possession of stolen property under $5,000 and was given 30 days.

The final sentence was for an offence committed June 20, 2021 when Vandenbrink did some after-hours shopping at Cottonwood Shopping Centre.

Police don’t know how Vandenbrink got into the mall after everyone had gone home, but they know he was there because he was caught on surveillance video. Vandenbrink was recorded breaking doors and making off with merchandise from a Rogers cellphone kiosk. For that, he pleaded guilty to theft $5,000 and under and mischief $5,000 and under and was handed 30 days.

Vandenbrink won’t be serving any of the jail time he was given because he’s already spent 63 days behind bars at the Surrey Pretrial Services Centre waiting for a verdict. Credited at time and a half (95 days), he’s served more time than he’s been sentenced to.

Vandenbrink has a busy criminal history, with several convictions since 2016. Speaking briefly to the court, Vandenbrink said he was sorry for these latest crimes and said he “just wants to get on with his life.”


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eric.welsh@theprogress.com

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Eric Welsh

About the Author: Eric Welsh

I joined the Chilliwack Progress in 2007, originally hired as a sports reporter.
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