Accused in SCS assault case fails to show for sentencing
By Delon Shurtz on July 2, 2021.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com An arrest warrant has been issued for a 29-year-old man who failed to show up in court for his sentencing hearing this week.Wade Allan Cross Child was scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday on one count of assault with a weapon, but when he didn’t show up his lawyer admitted she didn’t know where he was.
“I have no explanation for his non-appearance today,” Ingrid Hess said.
Hess told the court her client knew he was expected in court, but because he is homeless she has no way to contact him, or find out why he never showed up.
Cross Child, who was initially charged with assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, and aggravated assault, pleaded guilty March 19 to assault with a weapon. He was ordered to have an assessment for the preparation of a pre-sentence report, and to return to court June 16 for sentencing. He never showed up then, either, and the matter was adjourned.
His charge stems from an incident at the former drug supervised consumption site more than a year ago.
Police reported that just after 6 a.m. March 3, 2020 they responded to a report that a security guard working at the SCS in the 1000 block of 1 Avenue South had been assaulted by a client.
The guard approached a man in the waiting area who was injecting himself, but because drug use is not permitted in that area, the security guard told the man to stop and go into the supervised area. The man became upset and shot the contents of the syringe — blood and other fluids — into the security guard’s face before he was taken into custody.
The 23-year-old guard was treated at Chinook Regional Hospital and released, but required ongoing treatment afterward as a result of the exposure.
Police arrested the suspect at the SCS and seized the syringe.
The matter has been adjourned more than two dozen times since Cross Child’s arrest, in part to allow him to complete a drug treatment program. His case was also interrupted after he was sentenced to 30 days in jail for breaching conditions of his release after the incident. Follow @DShurtzHerald on Twitter 4
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