Josh Schaeffer has been charged with dangerous driving and mischief stemming from an incident at Country Club Centre on Monday, Jan. 6. (Facebook)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

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NANAIMO — The man accused of causing thousands of dollars of damage to Country Club Centre and three vehicles has a long criminal history.

Crown prosecutors in Nanaimo charged Joshua Tyler Schaeffer, 34, with dangerous driving and mischief following a vehicle incident that saw two vehicles rammed and multiple concrete structures hit Monday night at Country Club Centre.

Further charges related to possible drug impairment are still being investigated, according to police.

Schaeffer was already due in court Wednesday Jan. 8 in relation to a June 2018 incident in which he was charged him with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and failure to stop at an accident scene.

Schaeffer’s lawyer, Bert King, successfully motioned to Judge Justine Saunders for both cases to be adjourned pending a five day in-custody mental assessment.

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King said he had concerns about Schaeffer’s responsiveness to basic questions on Wednesday morning.

“He’s got something mentally wrong with him and I need some help, I want a psychiatrist to look at him,” King told reporters outside court.

King said he viewed a video circulating on social media showing a truck slamming into the exterior of the CIBC.

King called the video damaging.

“It’s quite clear that when one looks at that video that this young man had something wrong with him mentally, there’s no doubt in my mind,” King said.

Schaeffer sat silently in the prisoner’s box during his 10 minute court appearance and appeared distraught at times.

He is due back in court Wednesday Jan. 15 and remains in custody indefinitely.

Schaeffer’s criminal history dates back to 2001 with several mischief, assault and vehicle-related charges.

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