Man sentenced on several charges
By Shurtz, Delon on March 20, 2020.
Delon Shurtz
lethbridge herald
A man who used a chisel, railroad spike and even a plastic sign as weapons to intimidate others will spend some time behind bars.
Mark Vielle was sentenced to seven months in jail after pleading guilty Wednesday in Lethbridge provincial to charges of resisting a peace officer, uttering threats to cause death, assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and failure to comply with release conditions.
Last January Vielle, who was on release with a condition to not have weapons, was causing a commotion at the downtown bus shelter. While brandishing a chisel he confronted a couple of security guards, called them names, challenged them to a fight and threatened to kill them. At one point he picked up a plastic “wet floor” sign and lashed out at the guards and people who passed by.
The previous December Vielle was at the public library downtown where he began to cause problems after a commissionaire told him to leave because he had been banned from the library for life. Vielle threatened to kill him, and when police officers arrived he resisted their attempts to arrest him.
Vielle was in trouble again earlier this year when he was chasing someone in the downtown area and ran by a business just as the owner was leaving work. The business owner told Vielle, who was holding a railroad spike, to leave but Vielle aggressively confronted the businessman telling him “I’ll get you.”
Lethbridge lawyer Miranda Hlady told court her client lives on the street and is dealing with difficulties in his life, which began when he was growing up in foster care.
Vielle was credited for 42 days spent in custody waiting to resolve his charges, leaving him with a sentence of slightly more than five and a half months.
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