Woman accused of using bear spray gets bail
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/05/2022 (1400 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A woman accused of spraying another woman in the face was given a shot at bail Thursday morning.
Erin Mini is accused in the alleged April incident. The charges have not been proven in court and she is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
On April 23 at approximately 10:30 p.m., police officers responded to a report someone was assaulted with bear spray at a residence, Crown attorney Grant Hughes told the court.
When police arrived, they found a woman who had allegedly been sprayed, he said.
Another person at the house told police he was listening to the Brandon Wheat Kings game at the time when he heard a scream and the complainant came running through the kitchen, according to the Crown. A woman reportedly had bear mace in her hand and a smaller man followed her.
The woman kicked the complainant’s door, damaging the bottom of it, before allegedly grabbing his phone, Hughes said. The man told police the complainant was sprayed as soon as she opened the door.
The man didn’t know their names, but thought he could pick them out in a photo lineup, Hughes said, adding the officer claimed the description matched Mini.
The reported witness didn’t make an official selection in the lineup but said he was 70 per cent sure when he selected Mini’s photo, he said.
Police found Mini early the next morning, allegedly with bear spray.
On May 1, the complainant reportedly told police she saw Mini outside her house on the day of the incident, according to Hughes. Mini allegedly sprayed the woman in the face before she ran to her bedroom.
Hughes said the woman wasn’t sure why Mini is alleged to have sprayed her. Police arrested her Wednesday evening.
The Crown opposed Mini being released on bail.
Defence lawyer Andrew Synyshyn said Mini’s background is the reason she is before the court. He said she was disadvantaged growing up and dealt with homelessness.
There are issues with the Crown’s case, Synyshyn said, including with identification. He noted the alleged witness was not able to definitively pick Mini out of a lineup and the complainant could only identify her by a street name.
“There are concerning circumstances of the case. The charges are serious, but ultimately I’m going to suggest the case is nowhere near complete,” he said.
Judge John Combs said the allegations are serious but agreed to release Mini on bail. He noted Indigenous women make up a large portion of the women incarcerated in Canada.
Combs released her on bail, putting her on a daily curfew and banning her from owning weapons. She is next scheduled to appear in court later in May.
» dmay@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @DrewMay_