Krista Kalmikoff has been found guilty of two counts of robbery (at the Nelson and District Credit Union and the Kootenay Currency Exchange), two counts of possessing stolen property valued at more than $5000 (the money from the credit union robbery and pharmaceuticals stolen from two pharmacies in Castlegar), and failing to stop when being pursued by the police.
The jury found her not guilty of one charge of knowingly having a restricted firearm in a vehicle.
Kalmikoff was charged with being an accomplice to Andrew Stevenson who was convicted of a number of robberies in the West Kootenay in the spring of 2014, for which he is currently serving a ten year sentence.
After a trial that lasted nearly three weeks, the jury in BC Supreme Court in Nelson deliberated Friday afternoon and evening until 10 p.m. and all day Saturday, delivering its verdict at about 8:30 p.m.
Interviewed after the verdict, Crown prosecutor Sunday Patola said, “It was about what she knew and when she knew it. This case was about what she said in her statements to the police and then in court — that is what it rested on…. The jury seemed to take it seriously and I respect their decision in this case.”
Kalmikoff will be back in court on Jan. 4, when a date for sentencing will be set. Justice Mark McEwan ordered a pre-sentence report and a psychiatric report to be prepared in the meantime. A pre-sentence report is a report on an offender’s background, prepared by a probation officer to help the judge decide on sentencing.
The minimum sentence for robbery with a weapon is four years in jail.
(CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said the minimum sentence for robbery with a weapon is four years.)
