Penticton woman sentenced following guilty pleas on numerous charges

PENTICTON – A Penticton woman sentenced to four months in jail after entering guilty pleas on several charges in court today.

Shyanne Kruger entered guilty pleas to four counts of breach, one count of escape from custody, one count of being unlawfully in a dwelling place and one count of theft under $5,000 in Penticton court today, April 3.

A publication ban on the details of Kruger’s involvement in being unlawfully in a dwelling place prohibits review of circumstances of that incident pending outcome of the co-accused’s court proceedings.

Crown prosecutor Kurt Froehlich told court Kruger’s breaches followed her release from custody following being unlawfully in a dwelling house.

Police officers failed to find her at home after her curfew on Nov.18, 2016.

Other curfew breaches followed on Jan. 3,  Jan, 10 and Feb. 3, following which she was detained in custody.

On Nov. 24, 2016 police made a 1:30 a.m. curfew check while also serving a warrant, but after asking to go to a back bedroom of the residence to get her coat, Kruger locked the bedroom door and refused to open it.

Police circled the residence only to find Kruger had climbed out the bedroom window and fled. They caught her an hour later, riding her bicycle. She was arrested for escaping from legal custody.

On Jan. 4, 2017, police arrested Kruger after a loss prevention officer at the Real Canadian Superstore in Penticton reported she had taken nearly $175 worth of merchandise from the store concealed in her purse. Police were able to identify her through video surveillance footage and she was arrested for theft under $5,000.

Froehlich also noted Kruger’s dated criminal record in asking Judge Gale Sinclair to impose a sentence of between eight and a half and nine and a half months’ jail time for the crimes.

Defence lawyer Norm Yates said his client had suffered through several months of difficulty during the period of her crimes due to relationship issues, turning back to a habit of crystal meth use, something she had not been using for several years.

Yates said his client was now clean and was “through with that stuff," wanted to get into a rehab program and get back to work.

He said Kruger, who has accreditation as a certified horticulturalist as well as certification in pesticide application, had a job waiting for her once she was out of jail. He said his client knew she had set a terrible example for her two kids and was “trying to deal with her demons.”

Yates also asked Judge Sinclair to consider Kruger’s aboriginal heritage in requesting time served for the charge of being unlawfully in a dwelling house and a conditional jail sentence for the breaches, escape from custody and shoplifting charges.

Judge Sinclair handed down a sentence of four months for being unlawfully in a dwelling house. He agreed to a conditional sentence on the remaining charges, noting Kruger had not committed any additional offences in between any of the breaches.

With time served of two months in jail, Kruger has an additional month of straight time left, after which she will be subject to a conditional sentence order for seven months. She will also be subject to a one year probationary term following the conditional sentence.

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