Judge denies bail to woman accused of assault, threats

A woman who allegedly assaulted her mother with a toilet plunger and threatened to kill everyone in the residence was denied bail in Brandon provincial court on Thursday.

The 38-year-old woman, who is from a First Nation community in southwestern Manitoba, is charged with assault and assault with a weapon, along with six counts of uttering threats and several counts of breaching her release order.

The Crown opposed the woman’s release, citing concerns over her willingness to follow court orders and her risk to the public.

Crown attorney Sarah Kok detailed the allegations, which haven’t been proven in court.

The Manitoba First Nations Police Service received a report of an assault on Nov. 21, 2024.

When police arrived, they found the complainant, who had a large gash on his face and the back of his head, Kok said. The man was transported to the hospital, and several co-accused were identified as being the assailants, she said.

Several witnesses spoke to police, including two children, and identified a woman and two co-accused who they saw assaulting the man outside.

One of the child witnesses said the woman started yelling at the man, and she and one of the co-accused “started stomping on him,” along with kicking, kneeing and punching him, the Crown said.

She said the child witnesses got an adult to call police. One witness told police they heard the woman tell one of the co-accused to “just kill him,” Kok said.

“He had a significant enough of a head injury that he couldn’t be treated at Virden hospital and needed to come to Brandon in order to repair the gash on his head,” Kok said.

Kok acknowledged that none of the injuries can be specifically attributed to the accused.

Kok said the woman was arrested and later released on several conditions, including that she resides at a specific address and abides by a curfew.

Police conducted a curfew check on Oct. 3, 2025, and she wasn’t there, Kok said, adding that her mother said she was at a medical appointment in Winnipeg.

The Crown said the woman was arrested a short time later.

On Nov. 21, 2025, the woman pleaded guilty to unrelated charges and was released from custody.

The next day, Manitoba First Nations Police received a call from a child who said their mother had assaulted their grandmother — the accused’s mother.

Police arrived and spoke with two children, who said the accused was inside.

“They indicate that the fight had stopped but that they weren’t sure if (she) still had a weapon on her,” Kok said.

Police found the grandmother, with a bleeding head, along with two youths who had barricaded themselves in a room, the Crown said.

Police found the accused hiding in another room and arrested her.

Officers took statements from everyone at the residence, and they told police the accused had been out drinking and was dropped off at the house, Kok said. The accused allegedly dragged the grandmother by her hair and assaulted her with a toilet plunger.

“(She) had completely upturned the bathroom, breaking the bathroom mirror in the process,” Kok said.

The children said the fight was broken up, but the accused “grabbed a piece of glass from the broken mirror and had threatened to harm and kill herself, as well as all of the family members within the house, including her own children,” Kok said.

She said police found a toilet plunger with a visible red stain on the handle.

Officers arrested the woman. The Crown consented to her release shortly after on several conditions, including a $5,000 promise to pay, a surety and that she does not attend the community where the allegations took place.

Five days after she got out of custody, the woman was arrested for breaching her release order for being in the community she was not to attend and being in contact with several protected parties, Kok said.

Kok said the Crown didn’t think she should be released from custody, as she has breached multiple release orders and her risk can’t be managed in the community.

Defence lawyer Anthony Dawson outlined some of the woman’s personal circumstances, including that she grew up with her grandparents. He said her mother abused alcohol and her father wasn’t in her life until she was 15 years old.

Dawson said she struggles with alcohol abuse as well but has been working on getting into a treatment centre.

He proposed a bail plan that would have the woman living with her stepmother in Brandon under a 24-7 curfew. He said her stepmother would be willing to act as a surety, pledging $2,000 to the court. The plan also included a $5,000 promise to pay.

Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta said she didn’t trust that the woman would follow her bail conditions, and it’s not reasonable for her to be living with her stepmother when some of the allegations involve violent behaviour toward family members.

» sanderson@brandonsun.com