A woman who pulled a knife and slashed a security guard while trying to steal a buggy full of merchandise from a Kamloops grocery store has avoided jail.
Payge Elizabeth Dyer, 35, was sentenced Wednesday in Kamloops provincial court. She was initially charged with robbery but pleaded guilty to the lesser offences of assault causing bodily harm and theft under $5,000, as well as an unrelated count of breach.
Court heard Dyer and a man she was with were being observed by a security guard at the Save-On Foods on Columbia Street on Oct. 31, 2021. She was confronted by him while trying to leave the store with a loaded buggy.
During the struggle, Dyer pulled a knife and swung it at the guard. He raised his right arm to protect himself and was struck by the blade in his right hand.
Dyer then fled the store and was arrested a short time later.
Kamloops provincial court Judge Ray Phillips went along with a joint submission for a 90-day conditional sentence order — house arrest — to be followed by nine months of probation.
For the duration of her sentence, Dyer will be prohibited from having any contact with the victim or visiting the Save-On Foods on Columbia Street. She will also be barred from possessing knives or any bladed weapons.
Phillips warned Dyer she would likely face jail if she breaches the terms of her sentence.
Dyer was also ordered to submit a sample of her DNA to a national criminal database.
