Possible progress in assault case
By Shurtz, Delon on March 9, 2020.
Delon Shurtz
Lethbridge Herald
After some 16 court appearances since last May, there may finally be some progress in the case against a man accused of brutally assaulting an elderly woman in her home.
During a brief hearing Friday in provincial court, Lethbridge lawyer Wade Hlady said he had received an agreed statement of facts from the Crown prosecutor, and he would review them with his client and possibly take a step at his next court appearance March 30.
Pleas could be entered at that time, but whether they are guilty or not guilty pleas depends on whether the accused, Adam Hobkirk-Onate, signs the agreed statement of facts.
Hobkirk-Onate, who appeared in court Friday by closed-circuit TV from the Lethbridge Correctional Centre, is charged with aggravated assault, housebreaking to commit a robbery and being disguised with intent to commit an indictable offence.
Police reported a man broke into a 75-year-old woman’s home in the 3000 block of Fairway Street South during the early morning hours of May 21, 2019, and spent the night in a basement bedroom while the elderly woman slept upstairs.
Police say the accused remained undetected in the woman’s home for about 18 hours until she heard a noise and went to investigate. She encountered a masked man who punched her in the face several times, knocked her to the ground and dragged her to the garage where he repeatedly struck her in the head with a bicycle before fleeing in her vehicle.
Police and EMS arrived at the victim’s home after receiving a 911 call from a neighbour and found the badly beaten woman suffering from injuries to her head and face. She was rushed to the hospital and treated for several broken bones in her nose and other head injuries, then released into the care of her family.
At about 10:40 p.m. the following day, a police officer dealing with an unrelated matter on the southside noticed a vehicle drive by with its headlights off and a licence plate matching the stolen vehicle. The officer stopped the vehicle and arrested the driver. Police said they also seized some of the man’s property he had left at the victim’s home.
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