26-year-old Storm Gage Kehler was given almost three additional months behind bars for a series of thefts and break-ins around Nanaimo in the past year. (Nanaimo RCMP)

By Jordan Davidson

incarcerated

‘Jail is required:’ unhoused Nanaimo man behind bars for series of retail thefts

Oct 6, 2025 | 5:33 AM

NANAIMO — A local man will spend more time behind bars after being sentenced for several thefts from local businesses.

Storm Gage Kehler, 26, was sentenced to 83 additional days behind bars and a year of probation in relation to multiple break-and-enter and theft incidents over the past year in Nanaimo.

Speaking during sentencing in Nanaimo on Wednesday, October 1, defence attorney Kelly Bradshaw said Kehler lacked a proper family upbringing, being put into foster care as an infant and moving from Alberta to B.C. by himself when he was only 12.

“Growing up around addiction around him since he was a baby, and introduced to heroin by his own mother, and being unhoused and grappling with his own addiction since that time. He’s basically trying to survive, with a terrible, terrible addiction that should never have started.”

Court heard Kehler was first introduced to heroin by his mother when he was only 14, which started him down the road of addiction and homelessness.

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On Christmas Day last year, Kehler went to the Nanaimo Sleep Country store after hours and removed a window in order to gain entry, making off with three duvet blanket packages worth around $1,200.

In February, Kehler stole two PlayStation gaming systems from Costco, and then provided police with a fake name and a wrong date of birth when questioned by police a few days later.

In March, while on probation, Kehler stole a “robot-style” vacuum from Winners with a value of around $600.

On Sept. 15, Kehler violated a release order when he returned to the supportive housing facility on Labieux Rd. in Nanaimo, and has been in custody ever since.

Bradshaw said Kehler is motivated to avoid repeating the cycle he was born into with his own son, who was born earlier this year.

“He is taking responsibility, and I understand he is remorseful and sorry that he has committed these offences, and also mitigating are his personal circumstances in my submission. Growing up around addiction around him since he was a baby, and introduced to heroin by his own mother, and being unhoused and grappling with his own addiction since that time.”

Kehler has a lengthy criminal record starting when he was 19, with four convictions for charges of theft under $5,000 and six convictions for breaching court orders since that time, according to court records.

Judge Tamara Hodge agreed to the sentence submitted jointly by Crown and defence attorneys, who said “jail is required” so Kehler could access available treatment programs while incarcerated, whereas he’d likely come into conflict again with law enforcement if he wasn’t incarcerated.

Terms of his twelve-month probation include not being allowed to return to the mentioned businesses or the supportive housing complex on Labioux Rd., must provide a DNA sample, and he’s not allowed to possess any tools or devices used for breaking and entering.

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