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‘Public needs a break’: Penticton man who stole cheesecake to spend more time in jail

Levi Jo Kamps appeared in court to plead guilty to several charges
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Penticton law courts. (File photo)

A well-known face among Penticton’s prolific offenders has spent the last several months in jail and isn’t leaving soon.

Levi Jo Kamps, 25, appeared virtually in Penticton Court on March 16 to plead guilty in three of five cases currently working their way through the system.

The cases were the latest in his long history of low-level offences in the community.

Two of the cases were from 2021, where Kamps in one instance stole about $320 worth of headphones from the Staples in Penticton and in the other he stole a cheesecake from the Wholesale Club. Kamps was already banned from being at the Wholesale Club from a previous court case.

The final incident involved Kamps defecating on the lawn of a unit at the Sun Valley Motel, for which he received a mischief charge.

Both Crown prosecution and the judge noted that it was low-level prolific behaviour from Kamps and others in the community that was fueling potential vigilantism.

“It’s a concern to everybody in the community that Mr. Kamps is behaving this way and the result that happens is members of the community might start taking things into their own hands and we don’t want that to happen,” said Crown.

READ MORE: Well known Penticton prolific offender arrested

The judge sentenced Kamps to a combined 134 days in jail for the cases. Since his last arrest in November, Kamps has been in custody and received time-and-a-half credit for 176 days. The remaining days will be taken into account if he is found guilty in two other cases currently against him.

“The public needs to have a break from this kind of behaviour, and in this case a break from Mr. Kamps’ behaviour,” said the judge in her reasons.

Kamps will be staying in custody as he awaits trials for those other cases, where he is facing charges of assault and assault with a weapon. The assault with the weapon case involves an instance where Kamps allegedly bear-sprayed another person when he was caught rummaging through a car.

Kamps entered pleas of not guilty to those cases. A date for those trials has not yet been scheduled.

To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

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Brennan Phillips

About the Author: Brennan Phillips

Brennan was raised in the Okanagan and is thankful every day that he gets to live and work in one of the most beautiful places in Canada.
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