A Prince George woman was sentenced Thursday to a further two years in jail for her role in two holdups earlier this year.
Genevieve Mader, 20, was issued the term in Prince George provincial court after pleading guilty to two counts each of robbery and using an imitation firearm in the commission of an offence.
Her then boyfriend, Chase Daniel Hoffarth, 22, carried out the acts but Mader was involved in the planning, the court heard. She came up with the idea of robbing a fast food restaurant in the first incident and scoped out the two victims in the second, the court was told.
The couple, who had been spending about $500 a month on marijuana and another $300 or so per month on cigarettes, ran into money troubles after Mader lost one of her two jobs.
On Feb. 15 at about 9:30 p.m., Hoffarth entered the Subway restaurant at 6333 Southridge Ave. wearing a nylon over his head, showed the cashier what turned out to be a pellet gun, and made off with about $100 after demanding money from the till.
Mader, who waited outside in a getaway vehicle, had worked in similar establishments in the past and knew only one or two people would be on staff at that time of the day, Crown prosecutor Terry Lawrence said.
Then, on March 18, with their "financial obligations once again causing a concern" they took the pellet gun back out "with the intention of doing something stupid." Driving along Queensway, they first intended to rob a prostitute but settled on two women standing outside the Cowboy Ranch at 2595 Queensway Ave.
Mader walked over and asked to borrow a cigarette while trying to get a sense of the two. After determining her boyfriend would be able to handle the two, she left and Hoffarth moved in, once again with a nylon over his head and wielding the pellet gun.
He made off with one of the purses and hopped into a pickup truck where Mader was waiting behind the wheel. There was no cash in the purse but the owner's identification went missing and had to be replaced.
About 45 minutes later, and after police were notified, Hoffarth and Mader were stopped on Ferry Avenue and the two were taken to the Prince George RCMP detachment where they both denied committing the robbery and were let go.
However, when the two victims were subsequently interviewed, they recalled two letters from the licence plate that matched those on the truck. Hoffarth was brought back to the detachment and confessed to committing the robbery. Mader, who was in the waiting room at the detachment, was also arrested and the two also admitted to robbing the Subway.
Someone else who matched the description of the culprit was originally arrested for the Subway and had to spend some time in custody, Lawrence noted.
On Oct. 17, Hoffarth was sentenced to a further 38 months in jail after receiving 319 days for time served, adding up to four years. In issuing the sentence on that day, judge Dan Weatherly called the couple a "modern-day Bonnie and Clyde" who went out of their way to find vulnerable victims to rob so they could enjoy their life of marijuana addiction.
On Friday, judge Melissa Gillespie did not go that far in sentencing Mader.
"Although there was planning, I certainly can't say it was the most sophisticated planning and in the sense that it seemed to be almost somewhat opportunistic," Gillespie said.
She also noted Mader had no criminal record, pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and showed "little likelihood" she will resume that lifestyle.
In issuing the sentence, Gillespie endorsed defence lawyer Charles Hutchinson's proposal for two years plus time served. Lawrence had argued for three years less time served, which would have made Mader's term 23 days longer.
Either way, Mader will go to a federal institution, which has programs for rehabilitation not available in the provincial system, Hutchinson noted.
Once the jail term is completed, Mader must also serve six months probation that includes no contact with the victims as a condition.
