A Sarnia man has been sentenced to about nine months in jail after police found a loaded handgun hidden in his closet.

But Joseph Digregorio, who has no firearms licence, was fortunate to avoid getting more time behind bars because of what the judge called a somewhat exceptional circumstance.

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“Because it’s far more common that this type of offence attracts much lengthier sentences, often a penitentiary sentence, even for a first offender like yourself,” Justice Krista Lynn Leszczynski said.

The incident took place on Aug. 18, 2023, when Sarnia police were called to his home amid concerns Digregorio was acting erratically. Officers, who believed he was on drugs and could be suffering from a form of psychosis, apprehended him under the Mental Health Act.

While they we

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