Getaway driver gets four-year term
The man who drove a getaway vehicle — after his sister’s failed attempt at stealing an elderly woman’s purse caused the woman serious injuries — was sentenced Thursday.
After pleading guilty to accountability to robbery, Kevin Ward, 20, was sentenced to four years in the Montana Department of Corrections by Flathead District Judge Ted Lympus.
Though that sentence was suspended, he received an additional four-year sentence for a December 2010 felony criminal endangerment conviction under the terms of a plea agreement with the Flathead County Attorney’s Office.
Kevin Ward suggested that his 23-year-old sister, Kimberly Ward, snatch a purse from a 78-year-old woman as they drove through the parking lot of Walmart on Jan. 19, according to court documents.
The siblings originally had intended to steal from Walmart to obtain money to buy morphine, but apparently saw Hildegard Krause as an easier target, according to court documents.
Krause, who was putting merchandise in her vehicle at about 3:30 p.m., was pulled to the ground as Kimberly Ward attempted to rip away the purse.
Krause held on to the purse even after she fell.
Surveillance footage showed a white passenger car parked next to Krause’s vehicle where a woman believed to be Kimberly Ward exited. The car, driven by Kevin Ward, drove away and idled nearby while Kimberly Ward attempted to steal the purse, according to court documents.
She could be seen running to the car after failing to get the purse, according to court documents. A witness later identified Kimberly Ward as the suspect.
Krause was taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center where a doctor found three or four hairline fractures on her pelvis and bruises on her left shoulder, according to court documents.
In addition to his four-year Department of Corrections sentence, Lympus also ordered him to pay a $1,000 fine.
Kimberly Ward pleaded innocent to robbery during a Feb. 17 arraignment. Her trial is tentatively scheduled to begin in July. She has been held in the Flathead Adult Detention Center since her Jan. 26 arrest.
Reporter Eric Schwartz may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at eschwartz@dailyinterlake.com.