There is a saying that time heals all wounds but for one Kelowna pawn shop owner who was attacked, it’s taking a lot of time for his wounds to heal. However, Jan Verhagen of Save More Pawnbrokers in Rutland says he is relieved that the man who attacked him during a violent robbery is going to spend more time in jail.
“I turned my back on somebody and I paid the price,” Verhagen said.
In February, Verhagen was attacked by a drug addict in his pawn shop and ended up in hospital with a fractured skull and broken arm. To this day, Verhagen is convinced that his attacker was trying to not only rob him but to silence him for good.
Get breaking National news
“As far as I’m concerned, the amount of times that he hit me and what he did, he was probably trying to kill me.”
The attack left scars, both psychological and physical, as well an arm that won’t heal.
Zachary William Worrall, 24, has been behind bars since February. He was sentenced Tuesday to an additional 22 months in jail. Worrall has also been ordered to pay Verhagen $11,000 in restitution, but the pawn shop owner doesn’t think he’ll ever see a cent.
In a strange twist, Verhagen says he knew that Worrall was his attacker within days of the incident because informants began showing up at his shop to say that Worrall had sold them jewelry that they were wearing. Verhagen says that’s the cost of doing business in the pawnshop industry.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.