(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)
June 30, 2016 - 9:00 PM
KELOWNA - A Kelowna woman caught with cocaine, heroin and marijuana in her house three years ago could escape jail if the judge agrees she was talked into it by her boyfriend.
Tabitha Ann Podlubny, 29, was arrested Jan. 5, 2013, at her home in Kelowna. RCMP found six ounces of cocaine, two ounces of heroin and 1.5 ounces of marijuana inside and she was charged with multiple counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking. She was also charged with several weapons-related offences when police found an unregistered handgun and ammunition in the home.
Her lawyer Kelly Christensen says the gun and drugs belonged to Podlubny’s boyfriend and described her participation as 'minor'.
“It is not that she was working as a courier or selling drugs… what she did was allow her property to be used as a place for substances to be stored,” she said in Kelowna court Thursday, June 30. “Of course she was aware of the firearm but it was not her property. Her involvement was on the extreme low end of the scale.”
Crown is asking for a custodial sentence for Podlubny, who has no prior criminal record, while Christensen says a suspended sentence with a period of house arrest and weekend incarceration is more appropriate.
“(This is a case of) a naïve individual and a smooth talking, older man that provided a perfect medium for a turn that led her to the matters she is now pleading guilty to.”
Also charged was Krystal Elizabeth Wickman, however Christensen says charges against her will be stayed.
Podlubny will be sentenced at a later date.
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