History of violence deters man’s release

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This article was published 10/05/2023 (1233 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man with a history of violence is back behind bars for new assault allegations after a judge deemed him too great a risk to public safety to be released on bail.

Arnold Bone was denied bail in court Monday after racking up several charges from April 14, including assault and numerous weapons-related offences.

Despite potential issues with the Crown’s case against Bone, the Brandon man’s record of violence was concerning enough for Judge John Combs to keep him in jail while his charges move through the court system.

Bone was released in February after pleading guilty to various charges, including assault with a weapon, uttering threats, failure to comply with release conditions and being unlawfully in a dwelling, which led to nearly four months behind bars.

During Bone’s bail hearing Monday, Crown attorney Caroline Lacey read out the details of the recent allegations against the man.

None of the new allegations against Bone have been proven in court, and he remains innocent until proven guilty.

Brandon Police Service officers were dispatched to an active assault on 26th Street in the early hours of April 14. The 911 caller reported that a man was beating a woman who then became unconscious.

Police arrived at the apartment building and attempted to enter. While they were working on obtaining key holder information for the apartment, the 911 caller pulled up to the building in a taxi. The woman, who told police she witnessed the assault, believed another female had just been knocked unconscious by the suspect. The woman said the victim had been taken upstairs by the accused to his apartment.

Police took a statement from the taxi driver, who told them the man who assaulted the victim had also punched the window of his vehicle. No damage to the car was reported, but the driver told police he believed the man was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

A few minutes later, the suspect appeared from the balcony of the apartment unit.

Police confirmed the man’s identity and asked him to come downstairs. The man complied with police and was placed under arrest for assault.

Police then went up to the apartment, where they noticed the door had been left open. They entered the unit to check for the victim, who was believed to still be inside.

Police didn’t find the victim in the apartment and only later found her when she was limping toward the ambulance that was on scene. The victim didn’t want to provide a statement to police and was transported to Brandon Regional Health Centre for her injuries.

Prosecutors said they had asked police to try to obtain a statement from the victim.

In a statement, the 911 caller said she, the victim and Bone had been hanging out in Bone’s apartment, drinking, when Bone allegedly started to act erratically. The witness said she told Bone that she and the victim wanted to leave because of Bone’s behaviour and how intoxicated the victim was becoming.

The 911 caller then tried to escort the victim downstairs to wait for a cab.

While on scene, the caller told police that in her rush to leave Bone’s apartment, she left her jacket and sunglasses in the unit.

Police entered the suspect’s apartment once again to recover the caller’s belongings. While searching for the items, police found an unloaded 12-gauge shotgun on the couch. Bone was subsequently charged for multiple firearms offences.

Citing the early stages of the investigation, prosecutors couldn’t confirm precisely where the assault took place, but did confirm that the victim was punched in the face and two people witnessed the assault.

Lacey told the court Bone’s record is “full of violence,” noting assault cause bodily harm convictions in 2005 and 2009, aggravated assault in 2014 and two assault convictions in 2017. Many of his assault convictions and allegations deal with violence against domestic partners, the Crown attorney said.

Defence lawyer Myles Davis pointed out holes in the Crown’s case against his client, noting there were Charter of Rights and Freedoms challenges against police’s unauthorized entry to Bone’s apartment.

“Mr. Bone should be released on the least onerous conditions at the earliest opportunity,” Davis said.

Davis proposed a bail plan for Bone, which would have him living in Brandon with his girlfriend who would act as his surety.

He said his client grew up in Child and Family Services until he was 18 and has worked for a contracting company for eight years. Bone, who is Ojibwe, has held a job working in the kitchen while in custody at the Brandon Correctional Centre.

In his decision, Combs acknowledged there may be issues with the Crown’s case in the allegations against Bone, but ultimately, the judge found Bone’s record of violence and the recent allegations indicators of a pattern of violence that presented a risk to the public.

“I have huge concerns about Mr. Bone’s proclivity to be involved in violent behaviour,” Combs said.

Bone’s matter will next appear in court on June 5.

» gmortfield@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @geena_mortfield