ATM robber given two years and ordered to pay restitution
By Nelson Daily Editor
One of the two men arrested after a rash of ATM break-ins has been sentenced in Rossland Provincial Court Thursday.
Darrin Christopher Hoffman was given to two years in jail — on four counts of break and enter and two counts of attempt to commit or accessory after the fact — and ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution to Kootenay Savings and $40,000 to Heritage Credit Union.
Hoffman was arrested on Dec. 26 in Osoyoos while Julian Alexander Hoekstra was arrested in Surrey on Dec. 18.
The culprits broke into the Heritage Credit Union in Slocan Park at 1:25 a.m. on Sept. 15, but all they got away with were a few stacks of empty deposit envelopes.
Upon entry into the facility, the two men attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, to break into the automated teller machine. Considerable damage occurred to the building and ATM as a result.
It was likely the two had cased out the financial institution and ATM ahead of time, or perhaps had some local knowledge, prior to committing the offence.
The same robbers hit an after-hours ATM at the Kootenay Regional Airport in Castlegar Sept. 10, as well as a break-in at the Kootenay Savings financial institution in South Slocan on Sept. 13.
In Castlegar, the ATM was broken into and the contents were removed. The amount stolen was not released by police.
In late November RCMP had identified Hoffman and Hoekstra in the ATM robberies that plagued the Slocan Valley and Castlegar back in mid September. Following up on some evidence obtained from the crime scenes allowed police to narrow the search for the perpetrators.
Hoekstra is scheduled to appear for sentencing in Rossland Provincial Court on May 5.
See also:
