WESTLOCK – A 25-year-old woman who went on a drunken rampage at the Fawcett Husky gas station in late-summer 2020 faces a suspended sentence, fines and will have to write an apology letter to the staff she “traumatized.”
Appearing in Westlock Provincial Court March 23 via CCTV from the Edmonton Remand Centre, Cassandra Lena Tourangeau pleaded guilty to assault (downgraded from assault with a weapon), mischief under $5,000 and failing to attend court, while additional counts of assault with a weapon, fraudulently obtaining food, beverage or accommodation and failing to attend court were withdrawn.
Judge Rosanna Saccomani agreed to a joint-sentence submission from Crown prosecutor Anthony Estephan and defence lawyer Richard Forbes that’ll see Tourangeau serve an 18-month suspended sentence that includes probation, with a number of conditions including a weapons ban, and pay $500 in fines — with Tourangeau currently behind bars on St. Albert and Edmonton charges, she’ll work the time off and serve five additional days in jail.
While Judge Saccomani waived the victim-fine surcharge, she did order Tourangeau, who says she has no memory of the crime, to write an apology letter to the gas station staff “who were just doing their jobs” as her actions have caused them “enormous fear.”
Forbes said alcohol has been “an issue for some time” for Tourangeau, who had been applying to enter a residential treatment program in Calgary and get on a “treatment track.”
Forbes also noted Tourangeau had waived her right to a Gladue Report and that there was a history of residential schools in her family.
“You’ve indicated today that you don’t want to go back to jail and the only way that’s going to happen is if you address your alcohol and drug addictions,” said Judge Saccomani. “I’m sorry that you’ve had a terrible upbringing. Most people that come before the court have circumstances similar to yours.
“I want you in your letter to tell them (the victims) about your upbringing and to apologize … that’s important because they need to heal from this as well.”
Estephan told court that around 1:20 p.m., Aug. 16, 2020, RCMP were called to the Fawcett Husky. Tourangeau was initially arrested by police for mischief, who then learned from staff that she had gone into the kitchen and broken multiple bottles of booze.
During the investigation, police also learned she had been stashing bottles of liquor, plus assorted other items, near the back door in an attempt to steal them — her drunken rampage ended with her throwing lighters at the front-counter staffer after being told to leave.
Tourangeau’s other guilty plea related to her missed Sept. 30, 2020, court appearance.
