man who broke into saskatoon seniors' care homes has 74 prior convictions
court heard steven john klaric, 49, was found wandering through halls and into rooms in two seniors' care homes in the middle of the night.
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steven john klaric, 49, was sentenced on dec. 11 in saskatoon provincial court after pleading guilty to breaking and entering to commit mischief at luther special care home on dec. 2, 2023 and columbian manor on jan. 27.
matt smith
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saskatoon starphoenix
employees at two seniors’ homes in saskatoon told police they felt nervous and uneasy knowing a stranger was wandering down halls and into rooms in the middle of the night. around 4:30 a.m. on dec. 2, 2023, steven john klaric was seen going into various rooms, including staff change rooms, after sneaking through the backdoor of luther special care home — an assisted living facility with 49 beds for people with dementia.
he was kicked out, but returned four hours later through another part of the building on osler street, according to the facts read out wednesday at his provincial court sentencing hearing.
on jan. 27, klaric was found wandering around columbian manor on louise street at 12:30 a.m. after getting in through a door with “noticeable pry marks,” crown prosecutor mike pilon said. surveillance video showed him going through unlocked vehicles in the building’s underground parkade.
nothing was stolen and nobody was hurt in either case, pilon told court.
at the time of his arrest, police alleged klaric stole “an unknown amount of money” from the vehicles. his theft-related charges were stayed at the conclusion of sentencing.
klaric, 49, pleaded guilty to two counts of breaking and entering to commit mischief, and one count of mischief for going into an unlocked room at motel 6 on feb. 7. he told a pre-sentence report writer that he wasn’t breaking and entering because the hotel room door was propped open.
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judge sanjeev anand accepted a joint submission from the crown and defence, imposing a sentence of 440 days time served with an additional six months in custody, followed by a probation period of 18 months.
however, anand questioned whether probation is “setting him up to fail,” given klaric’s history of breaching release conditions.
court heard he has 74 prior property-related convictions — including 12 break-ins — with few gaps in his criminal record since 2013. his last sentence was in july 2023, and he was on probation when he reoffended, pilon said.
legal aid lawyer jonathan stockdale said while there is reason for concern, his client appears to be agreeable to the probation conditions.
pilon said a pre-sentence report revealed “numerous concerns” that would support prioritizing public protection over rehabilitation, but noted he is hopeful that klaric appears willing to receive help.
stockdale said his client hasn’t received addictions treatment since 2008. he said klaric admits he wasn’t accessing mental health or addictions services while on prior probation orders, but he now says he wants to go to rehab.
klaric’s probation conditions will include mandatory reporting, living in an approved home, and participating in addictions and mental health/cognitive treatment programs. he cannot be at luther special care home, colombian manor or motel 6.
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