A 21-year-old crystal meth addict who fled in a stolen car with the owner hanging out the window and then knocked her off before running over her leg has been put behind bars.
Briana Lee Shields was sentenced to four years in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty in provincial court to theft, robbery and failing to stop at an accident scene.
“The victim was injured and crying for help and you simply drove away,” said Judge Donna Valgardson, adding it was fortunate the victim wasn’t more seriously hurt.
Crown prosecutor Dennis Chronopoulos told court the Dec. 17 “carjacking” happened after Bertha Letendre parked her Honda Civic in the area of 111 Avenue and 149 Street and went to attend a yoga class.
While Letendre was in the class, Shields smashed the passenger side window of the car and fled with a stolen bag.
She then discovered the keys to the Honda were in the bag and returned to steal the vehicle, said Chronopoulos.
Meanwhile, Letendre had come out and found the smashed window and returned to the yoga studio to grab a broom and dustpan. Then, as she came out again, she saw Shields in the driver’s seat with the engine running.
Letendre ran over and jumped partially inside the Honda through the smashed passenger window as it was reversing and tried to put the car into park, said Chronopoulos.
Shields punched Letendre in the face multiple times and, as the car owner was hanging from the vehicle, she drove into a concrete barrier on the passenger side and knocked the woman off so she landed partially under the Honda.
Shields then drove over the woman’s left leg and fled. Fortunately, due to the car’s position on the curb, the full weight of the vehicle did not land on the leg, court heard.
Police were able to track the vehicle to a nearby apartment building, where they located and arrested Shields.
A strong smell of bleach was noticed both in the vehicle and in the apartment and a panicked Shields admitted trying to remove evidence of her being involved.
Court heard Letendre suffered a 30-cm abrasion and bruising to her leg as well as a swollen and bruised right eye.
Shields also admitted being involved in stealing a pickup truck, breaking into a new Sheriff’s office in Whitecourt and making off with $26,000 worth of tools and equipment on Feb. 12, 2009, while she was high on speed.
Defence lawyer Marshall Gourlay told court Shields had been suffering from a drug addiction to crystal meth.
Shields, the mother of a three-year-old girl, tearfully apologized to the carjacking victim and to her father, who was present in court, and promised to seek drug treatment.
Shields was given six months’ credit for time spent in pre-trial custody, leaving her with 3 1/2 years to serve.
She was also ordered to submit a DNA sample for the national DNA databank in Ottawa, banned from driving for one year following her release and ordered to pay $4,952 in restitution.
What this woman did was horrible and violent, but I recognize that she is extremely remorseful, is a mother to a 3 year old child and suffers from a drug addiction. I don't believe that federal prison could help her in any way. I would have sentenced her to 2 years less a day (provincial prison) to express denunciation and specific deterrence along with 3 years supervised probation and the 1 year driving prohibition. She should have to take drug counseling as well.
