Woman, 47, accused of threatening landlord with knife

A 47-year-old woman was denied bail in Brandon provincial court on Thursday after she allegedly threatened her landlord with a knife when he tried evicting her from an apartment suite.

Christine Pashe, who appeared in court via phone while in custody at the Brandon police station, faces charges of possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and mischief under $5,000.

On Wednesday around 11:45 a.m., police were called to an apartment on Louise Avenue in Brandon and spoke with a landlord alleging his tenant had threatened him with a knife.

“Police made entry into the residence and located Ms. Pashe locked in her bedroom, talking to herself,” said Crown attorney Reid Girard.

“After approximately 10 minutes of giving verbal commands to Ms. Pashe, she finally co-operated and came out with her hands up, and she was arrested without incident.”

Police seized a large-style tactical knife that was found inside the unit.

The landlord told officers he had wedged his foot in the door while speaking with Pashe about being evicted when she allegedly pulled out a knife and began stabbing the door in attempt to “scare him away,” Girard said.

The Crown opposed Pashe’s release from custody, citing concerns she wouldn’t show up for her scheduled court dates and that she posed a dangerous risk to public safety.

“The Crown’s very concerned that if she’s released, this behaviour is going to continue and potentially escalate, given what appears to be some perhaps poor behaviour on her part in response to a kind of uncomfortable situation that resulted in allegedly pulling the knife,” he said.

While the Crown may see the accused’s behaviour as intimidating or aggressive, defence lawyer Andrew Synyshyn said his client sees the situation very differently.

“She tells me that she’s struggled quite some time in obtaining and maintaining housing, and as you may or may not be aware, Ms. Pashe has a number of children with whom she tries to care for,” he said.

Synyshyn said Pashe’s landlord has been causing problems for her and her children by entering her suite without permission and she’s felt unsafe in his presence.

She denied threatening him with a knife, Synyshyn said.

“She says the only time she would have held a weapon or any type of legitimate instrument was to defend herself and that she was trying to make sure the landlord didn’t push his way in during the evening,” he said.

The lawyer said he was not aware of whether the landlord had legal authority to evict her and noted Pashe hadn’t received any orders from the Residential Tenancies Branch.

“We have a situation now where she’s been told she’s been evicted, so she has nowhere to go,” he said.

“She has very little by way of supports, and ultimately, to some extent, not much of a plan.”

Synyshyn addressed the Crown’s concerns by saying Pashe is not someone who is wandering the streets causing trouble and that her bail plan can include conditions not to possess weapons, contact her landlord and attend all her court dates, including a suggested appearance for Monday.

Provincial court Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta said the allegations against the accused are serious and concerning.

She emphasized that none of the allegations have been proven in court.

“The case appears to be strong against her. There is a history of non-compliance with court orders, and in particular, a protracted history of not attending court,” she said.

Hewitt-Michta said the proposed bail plan offers no security and urges her to grant Pashe’s release on the promise she’ll appear in court on a quick turnaround.

She denied bail on the likelihood the accused would fail to attend court.

Pashe’s next court date is scheduled for Oct. 6.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com