MOOSE JAW — Resident Janna Elizabeth Wells will spend the next four months in jail for offences she committed during the past two years, most of which she did while addicted to drugs.
Wells, 34, appeared in Moose Jaw Provincial Court recently, where she pleaded guilty to 10 charges — mostly thefts, but also an assault and a break-in — that occurred between January 2023 and July 2024.
As part of a joint submission, Wells will spend 120 days in jail, which includes 90 days for the break-and-enter and 30 days concurrent for the other offences. She will then spend 12 months on probation after she is released. She must also provided a DNA sample.
Wells had been in custody for 18 days, so the court credited her with 27 enhanced days. This means she has 93 days left to serve.
The Crown stayed six other charges.
The most concerning offence Wells committed during her crime spree was the break-and-enter into a home, said Crown prosecutor Robbie Parker.
On July 26, 2024, around 2:30 a.m., video footage showed Wells entering a homeowner’s backyard on Laurier Street, walking near the back door and storage area, and then removing the screen of a door and entering the residence, with the occupants asleep inside.
A few minutes later, Wells exited the home with a bowl, a spoon, a container of juice and a cell phone — the total value was roughly $1,000 — and left.
Meanwhile, in early July, a homeowner called police saying someone had entered his parked vehicle and took personal items, said Parker. Using video surveillance, officers determined that Wells had been walking in the area and had a backpack with the stolen items.
A week later, Wells entered the Moose Jaw Public Library and took an employee’s cell phone from the front desk and left. Also in July, police learned that the woman stole a 1.5-litre ice cream pail worth $10 from the Union Grocery and Confectionary.
On June 12, Wells entered the Shoppers Drug Mart on South Hill, placed cosmetics into her shopping cart and then went to the front and put the items into a bag, Parker said. Despite staff telling her to pay, she ignored them and left with the products, which were worth $154.
In February, police learned that Wells had stolen $800 worth of miscellaneous items from a locker at the Temple Gardens Mineral Spa, he added. As she was leaving the changing room, she pushed an employee out of the way and left.
Legal Aid lawyer Suzanne Lalonde explained that Wells had been addicted to opiates for 10 years because of surgery she had, while she had been taking fentanyl during these offences. Her addiction had caused her to become homeless, while social services had taken her children.
Wells wants to take treatment to become well and plans to apply to a treatment centre to receive help after she is released, Lalonde continued. Meanwhile, she has become familiar with programs that Pine Grove Correctional Centre offers inmates and will participate “in anything and everything” during her time there.
“Janna is very much motivated by a desire to be reunited with her children and be an active parent in their lives. And that’s one of the reasons that she wants treatment,” the defence lawyer added.
Judge David Chow accepted the joint submission and agreed to waive the victim fund surcharge.
