Woman sentenced to 16 months in jail for robbing Thunder Bay c-store

A 25-year-old woman has been sentenced to 16 months of jail time and 12 months of probation for robbing a local convenience store in January.

Monica Magiskan, 25, of Thunder Bay, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and one count of disguise with intent on Monday, March 15 in a Thunder Bay virtual courtroom.

Court heard Magiskan entered a convenience store on Jan. 10 located on Hodder Avenue shortly before 1:30 p.m. wearing a mask, gloves and a reusable shopping bag.

Magiskan approached the store clerk and told them she had a knife in her pocket and demanded cigarettes and money.

The clerk handed Magiskan 10 packages of cigarettes and cash from the register. The individual left the store and ran northbound, court heard.

Two days later, police received a tip through Crime Stoppers identifying the suspect and Magiskan was subsequently arrested and charged.

Court heard Magiskan's parents were both residential school survivors and she suffers from drug addiction issues.

Her defence lawyer said her addiction is what drove her to commit the robbery so she could get money to buy more drugs.

A joint sentence submission was accepted by an Ontario Court judge.

Magiskan was sentenced to 16 months of custody and was given credit for the time she has served in pre-sentence custody. Going forward, she has 385 days left to serve.

Further, she will also have to abide by probation conditions for 12 months after her custodial sentence which will include counselling and treatment for substance and mental health issues.

She also received a lifetime weapons prohibition and was ordered to pay restitution of approximately $160 to the convenience store.