Homeless man jailed for uttering death threats
By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on April 23, 2024.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com Threatening to kill a couple of people, one of whom is a security officer at the Chinook Regional Hospital, has earned a 27-year-old man a brief stint in jail.Matayus Dan Card pleaded guilty in Lethbridge court of justice to two charges of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and was sentenced to a month behind bars. He also pleaded guilty to single counts of mischief and breach of probation, for which he received one day in jail on each, in lieu of $200 fines, to run concurrently with the 30-day sentence.
On May 28 of last year police responded to a complaint at London Road Market on 6 Avenue and 13 Street South where Card was consuming drugs and asking people for money. When employees asked him to leave, he told them, “maybe I should just stab you,” and as he walked toward one man he made punching motions and repeated his threat.
Police found Card in a nearby yard and arrested him.
“He had no weapon on him when he was searched incident to arrest,” noted Crown Prosecutor Bob Morrison. “He was just, perhaps, spouting off.”
Three months later, at about midnight on Aug. 24, an agitated Card was at the Chinook Regional Hospital where, in the waiting area of the emergency department, he picked up and threw a chair, then walked out the doors.
A security officer followed him to issue a no-trespass ban, and when he spoke to him, Card turned around and said ,”I will f–king stab and kill you.”
Another security officer arrived to help and the two officers detained Card until police arrived. During a search officers found a knife in a packback Card was carrying.
The mischief charge stems from a July 17, 2023 incident at his mother’s residence on 5A Avenue South where Card was in the yard yelling and had thrown a sprinkler through a window. Card had become upset after family members refused to give him any money.
The defence told court Card is addicted to fentanyl and methamphetamine and has been living on the street for about three years.
“He is remorseful for his actions, they all revolve around his addiction and he recognizes that,” said Lethbridge lawyer Darcy Shurtz.
Card was given credit for the equivalent of 14 days spent in custody since April 10, which left him 16 days to serve in custody. 3
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