Woman sentenced to time served

WOLF CHILD PLEADS GUILTY TO FORGERY AND FRAUD CHARGES

A woman who forged a couple of cheques, stole a wad of cash from a store and ripped off a government agency has received a short jail sentence.

Vivian Wolf Child pleaded guilty Wednesday in Lethbridge provincial court to charges of using a forged document, theft under $5,000, identity fraud and breaching a conditional sentence order.

Court was told Wolf Child stole two blank cheques from a parked vehicle in May 2018. She made the cheques out for $400 each and deposited them in her name. She was caught a few days later when the owner of the cheques noticed the unauthorized cheques had been deposited.

Several months later Wolf Child entered a store in Cardston, opened the cash register and grabbed several hundred dollars, then walked out of the store. Employees recognized her, and later in the day the owner saw her and called police.

Then in January of this year Wolf Child received a taxi ride, wracked up a bill of $60 then, using another name, claimed she belonged to a government agency and charged the taxi fair to the government account.

Wolf Child was sentenced to 45 days in jail, for which she received full credit for time she had already spent in custody since her arrest last month. Crown prosecutor Lisa Weich told court that, despite Wolf Child’s “very long criminal record,” she was prepared to recommend the relatively low sentence because the woman had been accepted into a treatment facility.

Defence lawyer James Lee, who agreed with the sentence, said his client has been accepted to the Sunrise Healing Lodge in Calgary, which specializes in the treatment of addictions.

He said the pregnant mother of three young children, is addicted to cocaine and methamphetamines.

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