A Revelstoke man was sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty to robbery at the Days Inn in May.
The incident report, as read out by Crown counsel Angela Ross, reads like a tale of a dumb and desperate criminal. On May 7, Thomas Lee Kincaid, 42, entered the Days Inn and demanded all the money from the register. The money was handed over and he fled on bike.
However, his cousin happened to work at the hotel and he was recognized by the front desk person and quickly identified.
Several hours later, he returned to the hotel looking for more money. The two women locked themselves in the office but Kincaid kicked open the door. One of the women was assaulted and he wound up fleeing with another $40.
Kincaid's laywer Ian McTavish painted him as a man who had hit rock bottom following years of drug and alcohol addiction. He told the court that since then, Kincaid had completed a three month rehabilitation program at Freedom's Door, a faith-based centre located in Kelowna. He had come under the wing of a pastor, found a girlfriend that was assisting him and recently found work.
McTavish told the court Kincaid was "crazed" at the time of his action, and that he had started the night drinking beer, switched to whiskey and then started taking crack cocaine.
Kincaid addressed the court and apologized for his action, saying he had found God and turned his life around since the crime. "No matter what happens, I'm not who I was on May 7."
Justice Mark Takahashi gave Kincaid credit for his rehabilitation efforts, but he also noted the circumstances of the crime, the injuries to one of the clerks, and the mental trauma both women suffered.
He sentenced Kincaid to six months in prison and 18 months probation.