The owners of Reddi Mart must be wary of Santa Claus. The store was almost robbed four times last November, twice by a man dressed in a Santa hat and beard. On Monday, the alleged robber, Eric Roger Wiull, 40, was denied bail.
The owners of Reddi Mart must be wary of Santa Claus.
The store was almost robbed four times last November, twice by a man dressed in a Santa hat and beard. On Monday, the alleged robber, Eric Roger Wiull, 40, was denied bail.
Court heard that the Reddi Mart at 76 Grosvenor Blvd. was first robbed on Nov. 8, 2014. A man entered the store that evening and bought 30 cents worth of candy. The man then walked up to the male clerk behind the counter, held up a yellow box cutter knife, and told the clerk to open the cash register.
“I need all the cash,” he said.
The robber took the money and then left on foot.
Eight days later, a man dressed in a Santa hat and beard robbed the store. Again, the robber asked for all the money from the register. “I'm sorry to do this,” he said, adding that he did not care if he went to jail. “I have to do this.”
There was not a lot of cash in the register, so the robber also stole more than 30 packages of Number 7 cigarettes.
A third attempted robbery took place three days later, on Nov. 19. This time, the robber did not wear the Santa hat and beard and picked up beef jerky before demanding the money. “Sorry buddy, I have to do this again,” he said.
There were only a few $5 bills in the register and customers were arriving at the store. The robber left without taking anything.
The store was under surveillance by the RCMP the evening of Nov. 23 when a man dressed in a Santa hat and beard entered the store. Again, the man told the clerk he wanted money from the register. An officer saw the man waving his arms from the back of the store, identified himself and arrested him.
The man, later identified as Wiull, appeared intoxicated during the arrest, court heard. A surveillance video also shows him yelling and pointing.
A search of his mother's mini-van a day later found a yellow box cutter, several Number 7 cigarette packages and a jacket similar to one worn during a previous robbery at the store.
On Monday, Wiull's defence counsel said he was at a cabin at Long Island Lake during the first three robberies. Counsel added that Wiull worked in drywalling and on the rigs. The box cutter and other tools found inside the car are “common Alberta rig-working tools.”
“Box cutters might be a common thing, but Santa hats are not common in November,” responded Crown prosecutor John Donahoe. He added that the Crown has an overwhelming set of evidence and the public would be “appalled if this gentleman was released.”
Judge Bruce Garriock said concern over Wiull's release arises out of the strength of the Crown's case against him. He denied an application for judicial interim release. Wiull will remain in jail and is scheduled to return before St. Albert court for a plea on his alleged offences on May 25.
