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National Post

Ontario woman jailed for biting grocery store security officer

Article content A Sarnia woman has been jailed for thefts from local stores and biting a loss-prevention officer. Article content Article content 'Biting is gross. It leads to infection,' assistant Crown attorney Michael Donald said as Jerica Trowbridge was being sentenced last week to three months in jail after pleading guilty to theft and assault causing bodily harm. 'Ms. Trowbridge assaulted her in a very significant way.' Article content Article content 'Biting someone is vile,' Justice Krista Lynn Leszczynski agreed. 'It's concerning, I certainly imagine, for the victim.' Article content Article content The incident took place at the Exmouth Street No Frills, where the officer confronted Trowbridge, 30, after items went missing from her cart after a trip to the washroom, court heard. She also took items without paying from a gas station and stole liquor five times from the Quinn Drive LCBO. Article content Trowbridge made the Sarnia police wanted list last summer after the LCBO thefts. Article content Defence lawyer Robert McFadden said the underlying motive is an addiction to opioids. He recalled she was in terrible shape two months ago when she ended up in custody. Article content 'I don't think she could have told us what day of the week it was at that particular time, or the month or the year,' he said. 'The drugs were just consuming every moment of her day.' Article content But she's been on an opioid replacement therapy medication in jail and looks much better, he added. Article content 'She's clean right now,' he said. Article content She went back to the same store five times to steal and getting caught wasn't a deterrent, Donald said. 'The addiction is more important.' Article content Trowbridge apologized and said if she could go back in time, she'd change things. 'I can't. But I can change things for tomorrow.' Article content 'That's an important thing to keep in mind, Ms. Trowbridge,' Leszczynski said, while encouraging her to stop taking drugs after her release. Article content