Yellowknife (July 14/06) - A 30-year-old Yellowknife woman was sentenced to 21 days in jail and fined $230 after attempting to steal groceries and biting an employee who tried to stop her.

She was charged with assault and attempting to steal goods worth less than $5,000.

A second count of assault for scratching another employee was dropped prior to her Wednesday sentencing.

The incident happened at the Extra Foods grocery store on Old Airport Road, May 3.

Territorial court Judge Brian Bruser said the woman needed to learn to take responsibility for her actions, even when intoxicated.

"That food did not flow out on a river of alcohol," he told the woman, who was by this point, in tears.

Bruser also agreed that the bite was a vicious attack.

The crown's counsel, Mike Himmelman, said the woman was seen trying to walk out of the store without paying for a basket of food. Two employees stopped her, but not before she sunk her teeth into one of them on the arm and scratched the other, said Himmelman.

"She was stealing meat to trade with someone...for crack-cocaine," he said.

The woman's lawyer, Hugh Latimer, said she hadn't slept for three days and was drinking vodka prior to the incident and can't recall the details.

Latimer told the judge his client didn't steal the groceries to trade for drugs, but rather that, "she was hungry."

When asked if she had anything to say, the woman said, "I'm sorry."

Latimer asked that the woman be put on probation or given community service so she could continue to work.

But Bruser said there was no evidence she would be fired after 21 days in jail.

The sentencing had been delayed one day because Bruser wanted to give the victims time to submit a victim impact statement or attend the proceedings in person, but no one took advantage of his offer.