ATHABASCA – An Athabasca-based woman who broke into a local business, as well as an apartment building, will be in jail until nearly Christmas after a court appearance last week.
In the Athabasca Court of Justice Aug. 11 Shauna Lee, 51, pleaded guilty to the B&E, mischief under $5,000, unlawfully being in a house, and two counts of failing to comply with release conditions, all stemming from a series of incidents earlier this year.
Lee’s first offence took place at the Vault Body Studios in Athabasca April 5, where she broke in after hours and started to pack a variety of personal hygiene items , hair care products, and candles into her bag. While being monitored on a security camera by the studio’s owner, Lee left the premise without paying.
Crown prosecutor Matthew Kerr noted the break and enter was serious, although mitigated by the nature of the items Lee was stealing – both Kerr and defence counsel David Zebak spoke to Lee’s issues with substances, struggles with housing, and mental health challenges as mitigating factors in her sentencing.
The most serious offence Lee plead guilty to, in the Crown’s eyes, took place on May 5, when a local man woke up at 7:45 a.m. to see Lee standing in his bedroom, smoking an unknown substance.
While Lee left without incident the man recognized her from previous incidents where he had to kick her out of the building the nature of the crime was serious enough that Kerr felt it had to be addressed.
“They’re awoken to someone in their bedroom. The complainant indicated he was startled by this and uneasy. I think it’s obvious how that would be the natural reaction,” said Kerr.
“The breaches are going back to this very same place, one of them within hours of being released for this unlawful in a dwelling house incident. They’re less serious than the others, but they’re still serious. These are all intentional – frankly from my perspective baffling – actions.”
Lee received a 170-day sentence for the six offences, followed by a year-long probation. She was left with 83 days to go on her sentence when pre-sentencing time was taken into account.
While Lee is eligible for a formal Gladue report – a type of pre-sentencing report Indigenous peoples have a right to have done before sentencing – she declined to have one completed before sentencing.
