Teen ordered to pay $8,000 damage to group home

An 18-year-old Brandon woman who caused almost $8,000 of damage to her former group home was sentenced on Tuesday to one year of probation with community service and ordered to pay full restitution.

“The amount of damage here is incredible,” Judge Patrick Sullivan said in Brandon provincial court.

The woman pleaded guilty to a single count of mischief ahead of her sentencing. Since the woman was a youth at the time of the offence, the Sun cannot name her under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

An articling student with the Crown Attorney’s Office, Easton Lacey, said the Crown’s position was a conditional discharge by way of one-year probation, including 40 hours of community service and a stand-alone order to pay back the restitution in full.

A conditional discharge is used for minor offences in which the person is found guilty but will not get an official conviction on their criminal record.

Lacey outlined the facts behind the guilty plea.

On March 4, an employee at a Brandon group home called police asking for help with a client. Lacey said somebody yelling and smashing items could be heard over the phone.

When police got to the home, the employee provided a formal statement.

He told police the incident stemmed from the girl wanting him to call a different employee.

“She had thrown her plate down the stairs and broke a window,” Lacey said.

The man called the employee who the girl was asking for while she continued to throw things. The other employee told him to call police immediately.

“He saw (the accused) throw dining-room chairs and push the TV off the wall,” Lacey said. “Police noted there was significant damage throughout the house, which included smashed windows, doors, drywall and furniture.”

The accused was arrested and released on an appearance notice.

Lacey said the damage was estimated to cost $7,804.49.

“We recognize (she) was a youth at the time this occurred, and she doesn’t have a criminal record, so we think it’s appropriate that she has a chance to maintain a clear record, and she’s had no further re-involvement since this incident,” Lacey said.

Defence lawyer Philip Sieklicki said the accused did not try to justify her actions and acknowledged her reaction was “uncalled for.”

He said the accused’s parents have not been very involved in her life and that she has been in the care of Child and Family Services for most of her life. Sieklicki said at the time of the incident, she was very frustrated with CFS.

“Life is more difficult for young people generally who are in care. There are often more trying and stressful situations that are presented, and not having your parents there makes it all more difficult,” he said.

The accused has since started participating in counselling, Sieklicki said.

He agreed with the conditional discharge but said the accused had no ability to pay the restitution, as she had no form of income.

Sullivan agreed with the Crown’s recommendation and ordered the accused to pay full restitution.

He said the fact that the accused has no criminal record suggested that this incident was out of character for her, which he said is a positive sign.

“You can’t meet or answer frustrations with this kind of reaction,” Sullivan said. “Life is going to present some challenges, and the way you navigate those moments is going to determine how you thrive, or not, in your society and your community.”

» sanderson@brandonsun.com