A Penticton man caught sleeping in a car with a loaded rifle beside him while banned from owning a gun pleaded guilty on March 3. 

Taylor William Houle, 45, appeared via video in Penticton Provincial Court to enter the guilty plea to the firearm charge, as well as to a separate driving prohibited charge from a different incident. 

On March 21, at about 4:15 a.m., a Penticton RCMP were patrolling along Skaha Lake Road when he spotted Houle in the driver's seat of a vehicle that was involved in an unrelated incident the day before in Keremeos.

Houle was asleep at the time, and when officers approached, they saw the rifle sitting in plain view on the passenger seat. One officer opened the passenger door and removed the rifle before the other officer woke Houle up and arrested him.

The rifle was loaded, with one round in the chamber and another 14 in the magazine. 

It was noted that this was not the first time Houle had been caught with a firearm, in 2019 after he was pulled over for driving while prohibited, police in Chilliwack found a loaded rifle in the car with him. 

On May 16, 2024, officers spotted a Ford F-350 without a front bumper on Government Street, and as it drove past them in the opposite direction, they saw Houle driving through the open window. 

Despite turning around and attempting to pursue, they lost track of Houle and the truck after he reportedly made a sharp turn onto Carmi Avenue. 

At the time Houle was under a criminal driving prohibition, among other driving prohibitions. 

Crown noted that Houle has had clusters of convictions for previous weapon offences from as far back as 2002, as well as in 2004 in Alberta.

He also has 11 different convictions for driving while prohibited or with a suspended license.

Houle also made the news in 2017 when he either fell or jumped from a parkade in Abbotsford while being pursued by police, limping over to a vehicle and attempting to steal it before being arrested. He received a sentence of two months in jail and credit for nine months of pre-sentence custody for that incident. 

Following the joint submission from Crown and defence on March 3 in Penticton, Houle was handed a 270-day jail sentence for the firearm charge and a 180-day sentence for the driving while prohibited charge. 

Once time served was taken into account, that amounted to 15 additional days in jail. 

However, after the additional days run out, Houle will remain in custody for an upcoming unrelated trial in July. 

He also received a lifetime firearms prohibition and a three-year driving prohibition.