A woman convicted of street-level drug dealing has been given one last chance to tell her story before sentencing.
Found guilty in June 2022 of selling heroin-fentanyl via a "dead drop" in downtown Prince George, Crystal Leah Arndt has twice missed interviews for pre-sentence reports but on Tuesday, provincial court judge Peter McDermick granted her a third try, putting a sentencing hearing on hold.
McDermick gave the reprieve after defence counsel David Jenkins Jr. said additional information about Arndt's situation has come to light - that she had secured stable housing for the first time in six years and is getting help for her own addiction. He also noted that Arndt had appeared at her second appointment for an interview but was 25 minutes late, leaving a shortage of time to carry out the process.
Prior to the disclosure, Crown prosecution had been seeking 26 months in jail and defence 18 months behind bars. But once a report is in hand, Jenkins indicated he may argue for a conditional sentence order, in which his client would serve her term in the community rather than in jail.
The conviction comes from an arrest made more than 2 1/2 years ago when RCMP officers in an unmarked vehicle near St. Vincent DePaul saw a man give her some cash and, in response, her taking out something small from her bra and depositing it in a nearby flower container for him to pick up.
RCMP subsequently found a variety of items on her, including pre-packaged methamphetamine and drug-related paraphernalia. An officer also found a baggie holding nine flaps of heroin-fentanyl lying at Arndt's feet.
McDermick commented that the case has gone on long enough and warned Arndt that the next hearing on sentencing will go ahead with or without a report.
