Yukon thief used stolen car during dangerous chase

A new conviction has been added to the criminal record of Chris Cornell,a Whitehorse man already convicted of trying to kill police officers during a robbery.

On January 17 hewas found guilty of using astolen vehicle in connection with theviolent holdup in Haines Junction, Yukon.

He was sentenced to 14 months in jail for that crime.

While he has already been convicted of attempted murder, Cornellhas yet to be sentenced for shooting atpolice officers.

That sentencing has been delayed until June.

Crown prosecutorsargue that Cornell should be considered a"long-term offender," a legal status reserved for criminals likely to re-offend.The designation can lead to extra court conditionssuch as supervision forup to 10 years after release.

Cornell was arrested in September of 2011 after the violent robbery. The court heard heassaulted the store janitor by peppering him withbear spray. He also shot at a police cruiser thatpursued him up the Alaska Highway. The shots threatened the lives of both the driver and a passenger.

Cornell was arrested after the robbery andhas been in custody ever since.