B.C. man sentenced for drug-fuelled crime spree in Okanagan

Kelowna RCMP shared images of alleged stolen property recovered in a co-ordinated operation involving multiple detachments in B.C.'s Okanagan. (Handout)

A British Columbia man who broke into multiple businesses, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of vehicles, cash and equipment during a 2023 crime spree, has been sentenced to 28 months in prison, followed by two years of probation.

Kevin Andrew Brophy, 45, of Kelowna, will spend a maximum of 279 days behind bars after the sentencing judge credited him for time already served in custody since his arrest last year.

Brophy pleaded guilty in B.C. Supreme Court to eight charges, including breaking and entering, theft, and possession of stolen property, following a series of property crimes spanning the Okanagan valley from Penticton to Kelowna to Vernon.

According to a psychiatric assessment prepared for the court, Brophy had been using crack cocaine steadily during the crime spree.

“He became paranoid, hopeless, and desperate at the time of the offences, which resorted in him stealing to support his addiction,” wrote Dr. Georgia Walton, who diagnosed the offender with disorders related to alcohol use, stimulant use and post-traumatic stress.

$500K in property recovered

The court heard how Brophy broke into multiple businesses between August and October 2023, stealing whatever valuables he could.

Those items included a semi-truck with a trailer containing approximately $300,000 worth of lumber in Penticton. In Vernon, he stole a utility trailer full of power tools valued at approximately $20,000, which, unlike the semi-truck and trailer, was never recovered, according to the court.

He later stole a safe containing $2,500 in cash from a Kelowna business. The damaged safe was eventually found by police but the cash was gone.

Brophy was arrested in November 2023 “while breaking into a secure compound,” according to a statement from the Kelowna RCMP, who estimated more than $500,000 worth of stolen property had been recovered.

Following his arrest, Brophy attended a 90-day drug treatment facility and was released in June 2024, when he relapsed into stimulant use, Justice Carla Forth wrote in her May 23 sentencing decision.

Brophy was arrested for the last time in November 2024, when he “became acutely intoxicated with stimulants and was paranoid that his life was in danger,” the judge wrote. “He was driving erratically when the police pulled him over and arrested him. He has been in custody ever since.”

Banishment order denied

Crown prosecutors had sought a three-year prison sentence, followed by two years of probation, while Brophy’s defence lawyer asked the judge for a six-month sentence on one charge, plus a three-year suspended sentence and credit for time already served on the others, followed by two years of probation.

“The Crown submits that Mr. Brophy was not stealing food or small electronic items, but he was stealing large quantities of items and breaking into various businesses,” the judge wrote.

“The public needs to know that someone stealing lumber worth hundreds of thousands of dollars is someone whose actions are worth denouncing.”

The Crown also sought, but was denied, a banishment order prohibiting Brophy from being within 50 kilometres of Kelowna, Penticton and Lake Country without written permission from his probation officer. The judge sided with the defence on the issue, finding “no basis” to support such an order.

‘Heartfelt apology’

Brophy offered a “heartfelt apology” in court, and “expressed his embarrassment and shame for what he has done,” the judge wrote, noting the offender’s criminality is clearly tied to his substance use.

“When he has his addiction under control, he is a responsible, contributing member of society,” the judge wrote, concluding that an appropriate prison sentence was 28 months, less credit for time served.

“When Mr. Brophy is sober, he is a responsible, loving, and energetic father. A substance use addiction is a medical condition. I accept that when an individual is in the throes of it, they have difficulty controlling their actions.”

As part of the conditions of his probation, the judge ordered Brophy to attend substance-abuse treatment and avoid visiting the businesses he targeted on his crime spree. He is also prohibited from consuming alcohol and drugs, or possessing break-in tools, including hammers, screwdrivers, bolt cutters or night vision goggles.