Blood Reserve man ordered to stay away from emergency shelter
By Shurtz, Delon on May 13, 2020.
Delon Shurtz
lethbridge herald
A 29-year-old Blood Reserve man who threatened people at the Lethbridge emergency shelter last year and earlier this spring, has been ordered to stay away from the facility.
That won’t be difficult for the next several weeks while July Jason Creighton is serving a jail sentence at the Lethbridge Correctional Centre. But he’s prohibited from going to the shelter after he’s released and on probation.
Creighton pleaded guilty Monday in Lethbridge provincial court to two counts of assault with a weapon and was sentenced to 90 days in jail.
The first assault occurred Sept. 7 of last year when Creighton, who was armed with half a pair of scissors, threatened a male employee of the shelter. The man told Creighton he couldn’t sleep on the floor, and Creighton became upset and tried to kick the staff member. As he was being escorted out of the shelter he removed the scissors from a pocket and swung them at the employee, who managed to step out of the way.
Staff members managed to get Creighton into a secured entrance at the south area of the building where he was held until police arrived
On April 9 Creighton was causing problems at the shelter again. Creighton, who suffers from addictions and mental health issues, was threatening staff with a steak knife because he perceived he and his family were being threatened. He also lunged at a woman and threatened to kill her.
Employees locked themselves in an office and waited for police. While they waited Creighton grabbed a coat rack and smashed a window.
After police arrived Creighton initially refused to drop the knife. He eventually complied and was arrested.
Lethbridge lawyer Tracy Hembroff pointed out Creighton does not have any contact with his father and he is dealing with the death of his mother to cancer. He has a brother, however, who lives on the reserve and with whom he may live after he is released from custody.
Following his 90-day jail sentence, for which he received credit for 53 days he spent in pre-trial custody, Creighton will be on probation for a year, during which he is prohibited from going to the shelter. He is not to have any contact with the people he threatened and he is prohibited from possessing weapons for three years. He must also submit a sample of his DNA for the National DNA Databank.
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