PIZZERIA MARIJUANA DEALER AVOIDS JAIL

A former pizzeria owner will not have to go to jail for using his
eatery to sell marijuana to students.

Provincial court Judge Anne Brown handed Piotr Krol an 18-month
conditional sentence that included a year of house arrest, followed by
another 18 months probation.

She noted there had to be a balancing of deterrents and denunciation
with rehabilitation of the offender in such a case.

"Drug trafficking affects many in society and there are spinoff crimes
of violence and theft," said Brown, citing case law.

"He was trafficking across the street from a school, young people were
targets of the offence, it was a commercial enterprise and planned."

Krol had pleaded guilty to three counts of trafficking small amounts
of the illicit drug from Your Choice Pizza, across the street from
William Aberhart High School, and one count of possession for the
purpose of trafficking.

He was arrested in mid-August after a 17-year-old male student
admitted the marijuana in his possession was purchased from Krol.

Police seized more than 48 grams of pot, $825 in cash, scoresheets
related to trafficking and numerous student photo identifications
cards in searches of the store and Krol's nearby home.

He had told customers who wanted to buy the drug to ask for chicken
nuggets with their pizza and the marijuana would be placed into the
pizza box with the food.

The judge allowed Krol, 28, to serve his sentence in Chatham, Ont.,
where he now lives with his parents.

"It was the right decision under the circumstances," defence lawyer
Adriano Iovinelli said outside court. "Mr. Krol agreed how serious
these matters are and he has done everything since his arrest that he
could.

"He wishes he could take it all back . . . he has been ostracized in
the community and there is nothing left for him here."