Man gets house arrest for bear-spray incident
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/01/2024 (707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A Brandon man who sprayed bear mace into the Keystone Motor Inn patio last April was sentenced to two months of house arrest in provincial court.
Brandon Chambers, 21, pleaded guilty in court on Monday to assault with a weapon and carrying a concealed weapon. The Crown and defence were far apart in their recommended sentence for the man — the Crown sought two months in jail, while defence argued for a conditional discharge.
Crown attorney Andrew Sieklicki read the evidence for the charges.
On April 23, 2023, police responded to the Keystone Motor Inn for a bear spray incident. When officers arrived, multiple people were outside the establishment complaining about their lungs hurting and their faces being itchy.
As officers made their way into the building, they found the manager in the kitchen washing his face along with other people who had been affected by the bear spray.
One waitress, who had been on the smoker’s patio, was particularly affected by the bear spray and had to be treated by paramedics who were on the scene.
Video surveillance obtained by police showed Chambers having a conversation with another man in the outdoor smokers’ area. He then took a can of bear spray from the waistband of his pants and sprayed it twice into the patio area.
“It’s concerning to the Crown that (the bear mace) was concealed at an establishment where obviously bystanders were present,” Sieklicki said.
Chambers’ defence lawyer, Shira Brand, told the court her client was intoxicated and didn’t remember much of the incident. She said Chambers has no criminal record and argued that her client should receive a conditional discharge and serve community service and a term of probation for his actions.
“This was not a sophisticated type of offence,” Brand said, calling the act “a spur of the moment lapse in judgment — a serious lapse in judgment that Mr. Chambers does recognize had a significant impact on the victim.”
Ultimately, Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta decided the offences warranted jail time, though she allowed Chambers to serve his 60-day sentence as house arrest because he had no prior criminal record.
“I’m concerned about the number of incidents that we’re dealing with in Brandon involving bear spray — it’s hard to come and even do a docket court here without dealing with at least one incident that involves bear spray,” the judge said. “So, in my view, it’s very necessary for the court to send a clear message to you, Mr. Chambers, and to everyone about the seriousness of wandering around town going into public places with that type of item.”
» gmortfield@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @geena_mortfield