A Prince George man was sentenced Friday to a further 38 months in jail for his role in two holdups earlier this year.
Provincial court judge Dan Weatherly found the actions of Chase Daniel Hoffarth, 22, "quite disturbing" as he went over the armed robberies of a fast food restaurant and two women outside a local night spot on Feb. 15 and March 18 respectively.
In both instances, Hoffarth had used a pair of nylons to cover his face and wield a pellet gun while an accomplice, Genevieve Mader, 20, waited behind the wheel of a getaway vehicle, the court had heard. Mader is facing sentencing at the end of this month.
Weatherly described the couple as 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.
The couple had been spending about $500 a month on marijuana and another $300 or so per month on cigarettes and committed the robberies because they ran into money troubles, the court had heard.
The court was told that on Feb. 15 at about 9:30 p.m., Hoffarth entered the Subway restaurant at 6333 Southridge Ave. and made off with about $100 after demanding money from the till. Someone else was originally arrested for the crime and had to spend some time in custody, it was noted.
About a month later, on March 18, Hoffarth and Mader once again left the home they were renting with the intent of "doing something stupid." They first considered robbing a sex trade worker under the assumption a "crackhead" would have cash but then settled on two women who were having a smoke outside the Cowboy Ranch at 2595 Queensway Ave.
Mader walked over and asked to borrow a cigarette while scoping out the pair. When she left the scene, a masked Hoffarth appeared from behind a nearby building and demanded their purses.
One handed hers over while the other refused and a nervous Hoffarth took off, hopping into a white pickup truck. There was no cash in the purse but the owner's identification went missing and had to be replaced.
About 45 minutes later, 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.
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 when told about the match, he "almost immediately" confirmed he was the culprit.
Weatherly said the crimes warrant a term in the range of five to six years in jail but also noted he had to take into account that while Hoffarth initially denied committing the crime, he pleaded guilty at the first opportunity in court, had no previous criminal convictions and has shown remorse.
As a result, Weatherly agreed with Crown prosecutor Terry Lawrence's argument for four years less credit for 319 days time served. Defence counsel Ben Levine had called for three years.
Hoffarth received 1.5 times credit for each of the 213 days he had spent behind bars prior to sentencing. Mader has also remained in custody since her arrest on March 18.
