A woman who gassed up and dashed away at high speed, dragging an attendant along with her was sentenced this week to a year of house arrest and six months probation.
Candace Crystal Tratch, 39, pleaded guilty in November to several criminal charges including dangerous driving, theft, harassment and possession of stolen property.
On Thursday in Morinville, she was handed a 12-month conditional sentence, which will include six months of complete house arrest followed by a six-month nightly curfew.
Judge Jeanne Burch also added another six months of probation that will start after the house arrest expires.
Gas n' dash
Tratch pulled into the Superstore Gas Bar on May 6, 2007, in a dark red minivan and filled up with gas before speeding away. She went through the parking lot towards the Tim Hortons on Hebert Road.
The gas attendant ran after Tratch through the parking lot and managed to catch up with her.
He approached the vehicle while it was still in the Superstore lot and Tratch initially agreed to come back and pay, but then pulled away.
The attendant eventually grabbed on to the side of the vehicle as it approached the exit from the plaza near Tim Hortons onto Hebert Road.
The attendant was pulled onto the road and dragged for at least 20 feet. He fell off the vehicle on Hebert, rolling several times and suffering scrapes and a bruised pelvis.
Several witness called 911 and some followed Tratch until police arrived. Tratch attempted to evade police for some time, going through several residential neighbourhoods at speeds reaching 80 to 100 km/h.
Grace of God
Burch was presented with a request for house arrest or jail from Crown prosecutor Jeff Morrison and a proposal for probation from defence lawyer Elvis Iginla.
Burch said, while she didn't think Tratch needed to go to jail, she also needed to strongly condemn her actions.
"It is not by any planning on your part, but by the grace of God that the man hanging onto your car was not seriously injured or killed."
Morrison made that point during his sentencing argument and also said, even though Tratch pleaded guilty, the presentence report and other assessments showed she hadn't fully accepted responsibility.
"She is trying here to minimize her own moral blameworthiness for this action."
Tratch had no criminal record and Iginla said her entire downfall had been the result of an intense cocaine addiction.
"I don't think there is any doubt that but for the drugs, she wouldn't be here before you."
He said Tratch needed a second chance.
During the first six months, her house arrest will be in place around the clock and for the last six months she will be under a curfew from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
She will also be banned from drinking alcohol or consuming drugs and will have to report regularly to a probation officer.
Tratch's sentence also applied to two other crimes. Officers pulled her over on Jan. 24, 2008. When they ran the vehicle's licence plate, they discovered it had been stolen in Calgary.
She also admitted to a series of harassing phone calls she made to a local school on June 8, 2007.
