No jail time for accused in Penticton shoplifting incident

PENTICTON – A woman involved in a one time shoplifting spree was spared jail time following sentencing in Penticton court today.

Jeneffier Mary Cummings, 42, pleaded guilty to theft under $5,000 today, Oct. 24, and was sentenced to a conditional discharge.

Crown Prosecutor Andrew Vandersluys told court the charge stemmed from an incident that took place Dec.23, 2015. Police were called to Penticton Walmart after a loss prevention officer spotted Cummings wheeling a shopping cart out of the store with $1,566.37 worth of unpaid goods in it.

Cummings fled the scene but left her purse behind. Police notified her that she was being investigated for the incident and on Dec. 30 she went to the Penticton detachment where she cooperated with police.

Vandersluys asked for a suspended sentence in addition to a probationary term and a no-go order to Penticton Walmart.

Defence lawyer Robert Maxwell told Judge Meg Shaw his client had been addicted to heroin at the time of the incident. She is now involved in an addiction treatment program in addition to undergoing methadone treatment in May 2016.

Maxwell requested a conditional discharge for his client, who has no previous criminal record.

Judge Shaw agreed, handing Cummings the conditional discharge along with a 15-month probationary term. During the probationary period she will be under a no-go order to Penticton Walmart in addition to the counselling.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.