CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A P.E.I. woman who broke into mailboxes in Moncton and Charlottetown to steal mail was sentenced recently to more than 15 months in jail on multiple charges.
Kendell Marie Hardt, 26, appeared before Chief Judge Nancy Orr in provincial court by video from jail where she has been held in custody since her arrest in February.
Hardt pleaded guilty to 26 charges, including one count of break and enter, one count of break and enter with theft of mail, 11 further counts of stealing mail and five counts of damaging property.
Reading the agreed statement of facts, Crown attorney Emily Campbell told the court details of Hardt’s string of mail thefts starting in August 2019 in Moncton where a property manager noticed damage to a mailbox.
Hardt was caught on video prying mailboxes open and stealing mail before moving on to four other locations nearby where she did the same thing.
Campbell said the contents of the mail was unknown.
In December, Hardt stole more mail in Moncton and was arrested after a witness saw her and reported her to police.
After searching Hardt’s bag, the police found stolen mail, four screwdrivers and a flashlight.
She later failed to attend court in Moncton twice.
Campbell said Hardt was arrested again in February after the Charlottetown police were dispatched to an apartment complex where the property manager told them a male and female had broken into mailboxes.
The court heard Hardt pried open a mailbox and picked a door lock to get into the building’s lobby where the two sorted through mail, some of which they stole.
Among Hardt’s other offences was a theft from a Canadian Tire store in Moncton where security stopped her and found she also had clothing stolen from a different store.
Before sentencing Hardt, Orr said P.E.I. doesn’t see a lot of mail theft charges, but she knows it is a big problem in other jurisdictions.
The court heard Hardt struggled with addiction issues and is on suboxone but couldn’t access programming during the pandemic because of restrictions in place due to the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Hardt is also pregnant with an August due date.
Orr said that hopefully when the restrictions change at the jail Hardt will be able to get help and put things behind her.
With the time already served, Orr gave Hardt 151 days of credit. Hardt will be on probation for two years, she must provide a DNA sample for the national databank and she will be subject to a weapons prohibition.
