Taxi robber sentenced to time served

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on March 15, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A 33-year-old woman who attacked and robbed a Lethbridge taxi driver more than two years ago has served her sentence and won’t have to spend any more time in custody.
Kimberlie Rose Eagle Speaker received a nine-month jail sentence Monday in Lethbridge provincial court. However, Judge Jerry LeGrandeur released her after giving her credit for the equivalent of more than 11 months she has already spent in remand custody while waiting to resolve her charges.
On Nov. 11, 2019 a taxi driver picked up Eagle Speaker and another woman from a convenience store on 13 Street North about 7:40 a.m. and was told to drive to a northside residence. As they approached their destination, Eagle Speaker, who was sitting in the front seat, pulled out a knife and demanded money.
The driver stopped and eventually managed to flee, but not before Eagle Speaker cut him with the knife during a struggle.
The women, who drove away in the cab, made off with $35, a $600 tablet and $500 cellphone.
About an hour later police noticed Eagle Speaker standing on 5 Avenue North, and asked the officer why there were police cars in the area. The woman, who appeared to be dope sick, matched the description of the taxi robber and was arrested and taken to the police station.
Eagle Speaker’s sister, Jessica Mae Eagle Speaker, was also charged, and was scheduled to stand trial in January on charges of robbery, uttering threats, theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. However, the Crown didn’t call any evidence and the matter was dismissed.
Defence had recommended a sentence for Kimberlie of no more than six months in jail, and noted during a previous hearing that she is a far different person from the homeless and drug-addicted woman who attacked the cab driver in 2019. The Crown recommended a sentence of 18 to 24 months, and suggested the sentence could be even longer if not for Eagle Speaker’s personal circumstances and her earlier guilty pleas to robbery and theft of a motor vehicle.
LeGrandeur acknowledged the gravity of the offences, but after considering Eagle Speaker’s tragic circumstances and almost lifelong battle with drugs, alcohol and abuse, as well as her struggle to rehabilitate herself, he determined she had spent enough time in custody.
“She has done over the past 11 months as much as she could do to rehabilitate herself and give herself the opportunity to fashion a life going forward; albeit she has much weight to carry with her, weight that she neither asked for nor deserved,” LeGrandeur said.
He pointed out her father died when she was only six years old, and many other family members have died over the years since, including a cousin last November, another cousin in December and her brother only two months ago.
“She has had struggles with mental health issues over the years, specifically depression, and used the drugs to medicate and deal with overwhelming feelings of grief and loss.”
LeGrander said her drug addiction and other issues “slowly devoured her and eroded her self esteem, and her life became unmanageable.”
When Eagle Speaker robbed the taxi, it was to feed her addiction, not for profit or out of greed, LeGrandeur noted.
Although her sentence is concluded, Eagle Speaker will be on probation for 15 months, during which she must adhere to numerous conditions, which include providing community service and taking counselling and treatment for substance abuse, and to help her cope with grief and improve her life skills and self esteem. She is also prohibited from contacting the taxi driver or hiring the taxi service for which he works.
Eagle Speaker apologized to her victim during a hearing in February, and although he said he forgave her, he is angry because her actions changed the way he looks at people who get in his taxi.

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