PICTOU
A Cape Breton woman will be serving her nine-month sentence in the community after pleading guilty to attempting to steal a vehicle, mischief and breach of probation.
Lisa A Walker, 38, pleaded not guilty to the March 25, 2017, incidents that attracted police attention when a New Glasgow Police officer was having difficulty arresting a man for impaired driving in the McDonald’s parking lot.
Crown attorney Bill Gorman told Pictou provincial court that when fellow officers arrived to assist, a woman later identified as Walker, was also at the scene causing a disturbance by pleading with police not arrest the man.
Walker was arrested by police who soon discovered she was already on probation for two counts of impaired driving and her restrictions included abstaining from alcohol and keeping the peace.
Police searched the vehicle the couple was driving and saw Walker take documents out of the car and place them in garbage with some other items. Police retrieved the documents from a chip bag in the garbage and found a debit card and dentist receipt that had the name of another person on it.
Police went to the home of the person who owned the debit card and dentist receipt, but before they found the man, they spotted a van parked in the area with its window smashed out.
Gorman said the vehicle’s owner noticed that bank cards, a cup containing loose change, cash and McDonald’s Restaurant coupons and other receipts were all missing from his vehicle which were later found in Walker’s possession. The man also confirmed that he recently had been at the dentist and the receipt was his from the visit.
Walker told the court that she knows alcohol is a problem and she has taken steps to address it through counselling.
“I am different since that time,” she said. “I have come a long way.”
Judge Del Atwood accepted a joint recommendation proposed by the Crown and defence that Walker be sentenced to a nine-month conditional sentence order that includes six months’ house arrest. Once this is complete she will continue to serve 12 months’ probation. She must also pay $300 in restitution to the vehicle owner as well as $300 in victim surcharge fines.
The judge encouraged Walker to continue with counselling in effort to better her life.
