Six months time served for woman involved in $10K robbery near Chase

Photo: Castanet

A Kamloops-area woman has been sentenced to more than six months time served for her part in a robbery near Chase last year in which the victim was lured to a rural area.

Eleana Jane Pena, 23, pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of mischief and theft over $5,000.

Court heard Pena and a co-accused lured a man to a rural area outside of Chase on Nov. 10.

“When they got there, there was an altercation,” Crown prosecutor Anthony Varesi said in court.

“The accused attempted to slash the tires of the victim’s truck. The co-accused then engaged in an altercation with the victim and, in the process, the accused stole a quantity of cash and a small amount of methamphetamine from the victim’s truck.”

Varesi said the victim told police approximately $10,000 was stolen.

Defence lawyer Sheldon Tate described Pena as “a pawn” in the robbery. He said she got $1,000 of the stolen cash and her co-accused kept the rest.

“This was a matter that was generated by her co-accused,” he said.

“She was a pawn in the game and the circumstances became far more serious than she ever contemplated them to be. She is happy to conclude this matter and move forward with her life.”

Pena had been in custody since Nov. 15. She was initially facing a number of very serious charges, including multiple firearms offences.

Provincial court Judge Craig Sicotte went along with a joint submission for a sentence of time served.