WESTLOCK — A Fawcett resident found in possession of multiple stolen vehicles recently received an 18-month suspended sentence with probation and must pay an additional $2,750 in fines.
At Westlock Count of Justice on June 26, Trina Dawn Chobotar pleaded guilty to four counts of possession of stolen property valued at over $5,000, one count of possession of stolen property under $5,000 and one count of failing to appear in court.
Nearly a dozen other charges mostly related to the possession of stolen property, as well as one drug charge, were withdrawn.
During her 18-month suspended sentence, Chobotar — who has been in custody since May 7, 2024 after she was arrested as part of a "warrant round-up" by RCMP — must abide by a number of conditions, such as reporting to a probation officer within two days of her release, keeping the peace, attending treatment or counselling with respect to alcohol and/or drug abuse, and to not be in a motor vehicle without the registered owner being present.
The breakdown of her fines is as follows: $1,000 for two of the possession over $5,000 charges, $500 for the possession under $5,000 charge and another $250 for the failure to appear in court. She was given six months to pay the full amount.
Justice Gordon Putnam sentenced Chobotar in line with the joint submission of the Crown and defence, but noted that he would not normally have accepted the joint submission given the nature of her crimes, adding that property crimes are a huge problem in rural areas and there were several victims involved in the case.
However, Putnam acknowledged that Chobotar had no criminal record and had taken steps while in custody to rehabilitate herself and "(get) away from a life that you don't want to be living anymore."
Multiple stolen vehicles
Crown prosecutor Jonathan Avey said that on Feb. 26, 2023, Westlock RCMP received a complaint of a suspicious Ford F350 hooked up to a flatbed trailer sitting on a road next to a rural residence.
When officers attended the scene, they located Chobotar in the driver's seat of the Ford pick-up truck, which was determined to be stolen out of Edmonton. Loaded on the flatbed trailer was a Takeuchi excavator that was also determined to be stolen.
Chobotar was searched and officers found a number of items, including a small amount of methamphetamine. She later indicated that she knew the truck was likely stolen and she was being paid $5,000 to deliver the trailer and excavator to Athabasca.
Chobotar was subsequently released on an undertaking, Avey said. As part of that release, she was required to attend court on March 6 but failed to do so.
A few months later on June 26, 2023, Wesltock RCMP received information that Chobotar had stored stolen property at her residence in Fawcett. RCMP then obtained a search warrant and executed a search of the property on July 17, Avey said.
During the search, officers recovered a stolen Chevrolet Tahoe and a Ford Fusion, which had its Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) tampered with. The Fusion had also been painted over in black, Avey said.
Police also located some power tools that had been stolen from a sea container on a property in Flatbush, as well as other tools belonging to a total of six different victims.
While explaining the reasons for the joint submission, Avey noted, "It is not a secret that property crime in rural areas is a problem. That is particularly the case when we are talking about vehicles, and most particularly when we are talking about very valuable, expensive vehicles like an F350 pick-up truck and an excavator. It is more than mere inconvenience when such things are stolen.”
Avey noted it is also aggravating that Chobotar was looking for financial compensation in exchange for delivering stolen property to another person.
However, the Crown also had to weigh the fact that Chobotar, who is 30 years old, has no criminal record and was entering guilty pleas, thus saving the court the burden of providing its case.
Ultimately, it was felt that the high fines and lengthy suspended sentence, as well as the fact she has been in custody for two months, would serve enough of a deterrent to prevent further criminal activity.
Defence lawyer Tariq Salloum said that Chobotar, who waived any right to a Gladue report, is a Métis woman whose parents suffered from significant substance abuse issues and who was effectively on her own since the age of 11.
Salloum said Chobotar has been suffering from a drug addiction for the past seven years and it has snowballed to the point where she has picked up charges in multiple jurisdictions throughout Alberta.
However, Chobotar has been clean since January, and while she has been in custody, she completed multiple Gospel studies, emotional regulation and smart recovery courses.,
“She does not want to go back to that lifestyle, sir," Salloum said.
After sentencing, Putnam said he hoped the time Chobotar had spent in jail was "eye-opening" and encouraged her to continue on the path to staying clean.
