Man sent to jail for assaulting hospital guard over mask request
By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on January 29, 2022.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com A 28-year-old man who barely completed a two-month jail sentence for assaulting a police officer, has been sent back to jail for an assault against a security guard at the Chinook Regional Hospital.Logan Cash Heavy Shields was at the hospital early in the morning on Jan. 12 to have a finger treated for frostbite. While waiting to be treated Heavy Shields was wandering around the area without wearing a face mask and caught the attention of a security guard.
“Chinook Regional Hospital, of course, being a health-care facility in the middle of a pandemic, has strict masking policy and regulations for the safety of patients and staff,” Crown Prosecutor Adam Zelmer said Thursday in Lethbridge provincial court.
Zelmer said a security officer told Heavy Shields that he would need to wear a mask if he wanted to remain in the hospital, but Heavy Shields became aggressive and stepped toward the guard. The guard told Heavy Shields to back up, but instead he headbutted the guard in the face. The security guard took his assailant to the ground, struck him in the head, then handcuffed him and called police.
“Mr. Heavy Shields fortunately was in a hospital setting so he was able to be evaluated on site for any possible injury, but he had no serious injuries as a result of the interactions with security staff,” Zelmer added.
Heavy Shields pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of assault and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, to run concurrently with other offences for which he is currently serving. Zelmer noted Heavy Shields had barely completed a jail sentence for assault and assaulting a peace officer, and he has earlier convictions for assault and assault causing bodily harm.
Lethbridge lawyer Vincent Guinan told court his client is sorry for his behaviour, and, like others, “has been touched by the global pandemic in a number of ways involving tragedy.”
Heavy Shields said he was not doing well at the time of the offence, and had been suffering from addictions and dealing with the loss of loved ones, including his brother.
“My mental health was not great, especially in the circumstances of a global pandemic.” Follow @DShurtzHerald on Twitter 4
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