Woman fined for using stolen debit card
By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on September 13, 2022.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com
A Lethbridge woman who was caught using a stolen debit card and consequently fined, was warned she may not get off so easily next time if she continues committing similar criminal offences.
Alexandria Francis Eldridge was fined $500 Monday in Lethbridge provincial court, where she pleaded guilty to one count of possession of stolen property under $5,000.
The owner of the card had contacted police on June 21 of this year to report his vehicle had been stolen during the night, and a bank card that was inside the vehicle had been used at a service station on the westside to buy gasoline, a drink, cigarettes and a scratch bingo card, totalling $54.
Although the subsequent police investigation determined other individuals were involved in the offences, as well, Eldridge was caught on a surveillance camera using the debit card at the business, and she was arrested the following day.
The Crown pointed out Eldridge, 27, has a criminal record with convictions for similar offences, and duty counsel lawyer Jeremy DeBow suggested the criminal record, combined with this recent crime, could have an impact on sentences she receives in the future.
“We’re getting very close to a much more serious penalty,” DeBow told court. “Miss Eldridge has to understand this is not something that she should continue doing.”
The judge expressed concern that Eldridge doesn’t have a job and may not be able to pay the fine, but Eldridge assured the judge she is expecting to receive a $150,000 settlement before the end of the year from a car accident in 2018.
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