Four years prison for West Kelowna armed robber

KELOWNA – A serial robber has been handed a four year prison sentence less credit given for time already served.

Cody James Higgs, 23, was earlier convicted of eight offenses for a one day crime spree in West Kelowna in March 2015.

He concealed his face and used a flare gun to rob the Super 8 hotel, the Superstore and a Tim Hortons restaurant of a few hundred dollars in each heist.

There wasn’t any direct evidence, such as DNA or fingerprints, implicating Higgs but the prosecutor presented a strong circumstantial case.

A pack of cigarettes seized from Higgs matched the brand of cartons taken during the Superstore robbery.

The father of Higgs’ girlfriend told RCMP Higgs was the robber and gave investigators clothing that matched what the suspect was wearing.

He also told police where to find the flare gun hidden in bushes and turned over a note book.

There was no writing but on one of the sheets of paper were the indentations of words.

When shaded in they read: “I have a flare gun that I will shoot you with. Don’t be stupid. Give me all the money in the cash register.”

The court heard it was the same wording on the note given to the clerk at the Superstore robbery.

In addition to four years imprisonment, Higgs was ordered to pay $1800 in Victim Surcharge fees and to submit a DNA sample.

He’s also banned for life from possessing firearms.