Woman jailed, banned from Shoppers for pulling knife

When a security officer followed a suspected shoplifter out of a Great Northern Road pharmacy she flashed a pink and black flick knife toward the man and threatened to stab him.

The Nov. 28 incident occurred after Jade Shawanda went through a self check-out at Shoppers Drug Mart, and didn't pay for all the items, a judge heard Friday.

Police caught up with the 26-year-old woman on Christmas night when officers stopped a vehicle in the downtown because of "activities suspicious of drug trafficking."

Shawanda and another woman in the vehicle were known to the officers, assistant Crown attorney David Didiodato said.

A search located the knife on Shawanda.

She pleaded guilty Friday to assault with the intent to steal, possession of a weapon that opens with centrifugal force, two counts of breach of probation and two counts of failing to comply with a recognizance.

As well, Shawanda was convicted of two Highway Traffic Act (HTA) offences - driving while suspended and failing to provide information when requested.

These charges stemmed from an Oct. 19 traffic stop where she gave police another person's name and then drove away while the officer was checking information on his computer.

Shawanda also pleaded guilty at an earlier court appearance to three other Criminal Code charges.

Ontario Court Justice Melanie Dunn imposed a global sentence of eight months for all of the criminal offences, and $1,250 in fines for the HTA convictions.

With the 83-day credit she received for pre-sentence custody, Shawanda faces a further 157 days behind bars.

The sentence, which will be followed by 18 months probation, was the result of a plea bargain worked out by the Crown and defence counsel Jennifer Tremblay-Hall. 

Didiodato said Shawanda has a lengthy three-page record with "essentially no break in it."

At one point she was on house arrest and was to attend a residential treatment program, but didn't go.

"Substance abuse issues fuel these offences," the prosecutor said.

Tremblay-Hall called the Crown's position "very reasonable" given her client's lengthy record.

Shawanda is remorseful, and "hopefully," after she gets out of jail, she will go to treatment, the lawyer said.

Dunn noted a pre-sentence report indicates the woman faces issues of addiction and trauma (dealing with three deaths in the last couple years).

"I hope you've reached a turning point and go to treatment and stay there," the judge told her.

During her probation, Shawanda must undergo any recommended counselling, and stay away from Shoppers and Food Basics on Trunk Road.

Dunn prohibited her from possessing weapons for 10 years, and ordered her to provide a DNA sample for the national database.

She also recommended that Shawanda serve her sentence at the Algoma Treatment and Remand Centre.

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