Hammer threat leads to conditional sentence
By Delon Shurtz on April 21, 2021.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com A woman who caused a commotion at a fast-food restaurant and threatened an employee with a hammer, has been ordered to spend time in custody, but in her home, not jail.Gloria Brave Rock was handed a six-month conditional sentence Friday after she pleaded guilty to charges of carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, assault with a weapon, and assault.
On Aug. 16, 2019, Brave Rock got into an altercation with some patrons at the McDonald’s restaurant on 3 Avenue South, and was told by staff to leave. Brave Rock began yelling and accusing staff of being racist, and threatened to kill one of the employees and cut off his head.
The woman threw a pair of sunglasses at the employee, swung her fist at other people, and finally left the restaurant, but returned a few minutes later with a hammer. Other people in the restaurant fled, and the employee, who was on the phone with police dispatch, ran to the back of the building and hid while Brave Rock searched for him.
When police arrived with guns and Tasers drawn, Brave Rock got down on her knees and was handcuffed, but continued to yell and scream.
The woman also pleaded guilty to breaching probation and breaching release conditions.
Brave Rock had been ordered not to go to McDonald’s, but when the intoxicated woman returned to the restaurant, staff recognized her from the previous incident and police were called. Brave Rock had also been previously bound by an order to report to probation, and she failed to report on several occasions.
Crown Prosecutor Adam Zelmer recommended a “short, sharp” jail sentence of one or two months, plus one year probation.
Lethbridge lawyer Miranda Hlady suggested, however, a suspended sentence, and said Brave Rock needs to avoid custody so she can complete job search training, and continue helping her ailing mother raise several nieces and nephews.
Hlady said her client has remained out of trouble recently, made strides in her life, and is remorseful and ashamed for her actions.
“When I’m sober, I’m not that person,” Brave Rock told the judge. “I’m not happy with myself.”
Medicine Hat Judge Michelle Christopher said nothing would be served putting Brave Rock in jail, especially since she is needed at home with her mother. Christopher also noted concerns relating to the “over-incarceration” of First Nations people.
As part of Brave Rock’s probation, she must stay away from McDonald’s, avoid any contact with the employee she threatened, and be assessed for counseling as directed by her probation officer. Follow @DShurtzHerald on Twitter 4
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