A Typo Let One Of Canada’s Most Notorious Gangsters Out Early

For the second time, a small mistake in a court filing has led to the early release of a notorious gangster in BC.

The Parole Board of Canada Appeal Divisions ruled this week that Jarrod Bacon, one of three brothers who were a part of the infamous Red Scorpion gang, will be released on parole again in June of 2018. The reason for his release? A typo.

Bacon was initially sentenced to 12 years in a Quebec jail in 2012 on charges relating to cocaine trafficking. The charges stemmed from when Bacon and his father-in-law agreed to buy 100 kilograms of Mexican cocaine from police operative in a sting operation. After taking in account time served, Bacon was initially supposed to be eligible for parole after nine years.

However, someone in the court system screwed up, writing that he would be eligible for parole after seven years. Because of this, Bacon was released early in February of 2017, his parole ordered him to live in a halfway house, stay away from criminals and not be in any bars. Bacon lasted about half a year before he was found drinking in a strip club with a criminal—he also lied to cops about it by providing a false ID—and his parole was rescinded.

Upon returning to prison, Bacon and his lawyers discovered the typo and argued that because of it, his breach of parole couldn’t be counted as he should never have been released in the first place. The parole board agreed and Bacon is now set to be released in June meaning that, due to the typo, Bacon was released early not once but twice.

The Bacon Brothers—Jonathan, Jarrod and Jamie—were some of the most notorious criminals in modern BC history. They were connected to a gang called the Red Scorpions who had a bloody turf war with the United Nations, a rival gang, over BC’s drug trade. The trio has been connected to murder—including the infamous Surrey Six slayings—drug smuggling, and a myriad of other crimes.

Prior to his conspiracy conviction, Jarrod was acquitted on weapons charges after he and Jamie were arrested following an attempted the youngest Bacon brother. Currently, Jamie Bacon is awaiting trial for the Surrey Six murders. Jonathan was murdered in Kelowna in 2011 when a trio of gunmen open fired on his SUV. Three men from the United Nations, the rival gang of the Red Scorpions are awaiting trial for his murder.

The CBC reports that the parole typo happened at the federal level and is most likely the result of human error. The story has sparked a conversation about Canada’s underfunded and overtaxed justice system. Criminal lawyer Paul Pearson told the CBC that the error is symptomatic of a bigger problem.

"If anything can be taken from the case it's that we can't ratchet down budgets and streamline staff down to skeletal crews and expect everything to go smoothly all the time," said Pearson. "If you want double-checks and no errors to be produced, you have to fund the processes properly."

Bacon will be released on June 14.

Follow Mack Lamoureux on Twitter.