Gunville to spend two years in jail for Amber Alert case

Johnathan Ryan Gunville has been sentenced to more than 31 months in jail for abandoning a child.

Due to Gunville’s 230 days spent in remand, he has two years left to serve moving forward.

The 20-year-old pleaded guilty on Oct. 25 to stealing an SUV and abandoning a child inside of it in September 2018.

During a sentencing hearing in North Battleford Provincial Court on Wednesday, the judge presiding over the case went over the statement of facts before handing down his sentence.

Gunville triggered a provincial Amber Alert for stealing an SUV from a strip mall with a six-year-old autistic and non-verbal child in the back of it.

He later abandoned the vehicle in an industrial area and attempted to call in a tip to police, but did not give enough info for police to find the vehicle. The girl was found around 14 hours later.

Before handing down the sentence, the judge briefly went over Gunville’s background. His school work was at a third-grade level, and had been diagnosed with ADHD and other cognitive impairments.

Judge rules Gunnville should be sentenced to 2 years on the abandonment charge, with 3yrs probation to follow. (He has 230 days remand credit for time served ahead of sentencing.)

— Bryn Levy (@BrynLevy) February 20, 2019

There is a three-year probation period to follow the sentence. The judge recommended that Gunville serve his sentence in a Saskatchewan hospital to get additional treatment, but that decision will ultimately be made by Corrections Canada.

Outstanding charges of abduction and unlawful confinement were withdrawn as part of Gunville’s plea deal.