House arrest for role in home invasion

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This article was published 15/08/2022 (1287 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A 23-year-old woman was sentenced to 18 months house arrest last week for taking part in a 2019 home invasion that left two people injured.

Natasha Elk appeared before Judge John Combs in a Brandon courtroom on Thursday, with defence attorney Jennifer Janssens having already reached a joint recommendation for sentencing with Crown attorney Melania Cannon.

Cannon reminded the judge of Elk’s actions on Aug. 16, 2019, when she and two other people went to a residence in Souris around 6 a.m. and demanded to see a female occupant of the dwelling.

When the male occupant who answered the door refused to comply with the group’s request, Elk struck him with a blunt object before rushing down to the basement.

After exchanging some words with the female occupant, the intruding trio then proceeded to assault her as well before stealing her cellphone, although Cannon admitted that an investigation couldn’t pinpoint who is specifically responsible for this second assault.

Both victims received cuts because of this attack, with the female occupant of the dwelling also requiring stitches.

While Janssens admitted on Thursday that the charges facing her client are serious — assault and being unlawfully in a dwelling — she told the court that Elk does not pose a risk to the community and should be allowed to serve out a conditional sentence at a public residence in Brandon.

Not only has Elk expressed remorse for her actions three years ago, but she has also gone to great lengths to address the addiction and mental health issues that fueled her criminal behaviour in the first place.

These steps include regularly taking medication to treat her schizophrenia, cutting drugs and alcohol out of her life completely (with the promise of following through on further treatment down the line) and planning to attend Assiniboine Community College in the future.

Plus, Janssens said Elk will serve out her 18-month sentence living with her mother, who has been sober for more than a decade and will provide a stable environment for her daughter’s long road to recovery.

Cannon concurred with the defence’s assessment, stating that Elk has demonstrated a remarkable turnaround in her behaviour even after she was arrested in August last year for possessing bear mace and failed to attend a court date in March.

“The Crown had concerns previously at the time the pre-sentence report was completed and in the early months of 2022 [it looked like] she couldn’t abide by such an order,” Cannon said.

“However, she has been making some changes in her life … that leave us in a position where we are quite confident that she will be able to comply with such an order and that there will not be a risk to the public.”

While Combs admitted that such a serious crime usually constitutes jail time for the guilty party, he ultimately agreed with the joint recommendation put forward by the Crown and the defence.

“Certainly the recommendation that is being made to me is an unusual one for that kind of event,” he said. “But I am convinced by the information that I’ve received that you’ve started down the path of changing your life and I think interfering with that would not be in anyone’s best interest at this point in time,” he said.

However, Combs imposed a series of conditions that Elk must abide by if she wants to carry out the entirety of her sentence in the community.

Outside being confined to a registered house and yard site at all times — outside of going to medical appointments, running errands or attending school — Elk must also take part in counselling, abstain from consuming alcohol or illegal drugs and report to her probation supervisor on a regular basis.

Combs also imposed a two-year weapons prohibition on Elk and forbade her from contacting the victims of the 2019 home invasion for any reason.

“Ms. Elk, your lawyers explained to you that this is a jail sentence you’re receiving today. You’re just able to serve it in the community,” the judge said. “Please make sure you understand all the conditions that I’ve ordered today because if you’re caught breaching any of those conditions, you’re likely to be in custody, perhaps, for the rest of your sentence.”

While Elk did appear in court in person on Thursday — wearing yellow shoes, tan pants and a grey sweatshirt — she declined to make any public statement outside of agreeing with the terms of her 18-month conditional sentence.

The remaining suspects charged for their involvement in the 2019 Souris home invasion are scheduled to appear in a Brandon courtroom in the coming weeks.

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

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