A Kamloops man with a history of robbery convictions has been handed a three-year prison sentence for the “uninspired” hold-up of a downtown bank earlier this year. Shane Michael Grant pleaded guilty in Kamloops provincial court on Monday to one count of robbery. The 41-year-old was arrested hours after the March 31 robbery of the TD Canada Trust branch on Victoria Street. Crown prosecutor Chris Balison said Grant entered the bank just after 5 p.m.
“He attended the wicket and handed the teller a note,” he said. “The note read, ‘I want 200 now. I will be caught. I love people. Don’t worry.’”
The teller placed an undisclosed amount of money and a dye pack in a bag, handing it to Grant.
“Police attended and they learned he departed in a taxi,” Balison said. “When he went in the taxi, the dye pack exploded and he got out and fled.”
Grant was arrested hours later after knocking on the door of the wrong Royal Avenue home looking to buy drugs.
“Mr. Grant got the wrong house and the woman there contacted police,” Balison said. “The woman said Mr. Grant had said something about robbing a bank.”
Based on the description provided by the woman, Grant was found by police a short time later in North Kamloops.
“He was seen to have red dye on his hands and two $5 bills with red dye on them in his front pocket,” Balison said.
The conviction Monday was Grant’s sixth for robbery. Kamloops provincial court Judge Chris Cleaveley called the incident an “uninspired robbery,” handing Grant a three-year jail sentence. He was also ordered to submit a sample of his DNA to a national criminal database.
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