Man gets two months for shelter incident

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on August 26, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A 37-year-old man who received a one-month jail sentence two weeks ago for multiple assaults, was also handed a two-month sentence Thursday after he pleaded guilty in Lethbridge provincial court to assault and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Court was told that on April 24 of this year Cody Gregory Fleming was at the Alpha House homeless shelter and threatening employees with a knife. Shortly after 9 p.m. Fleming, who had been banned from the shelter for being aggressive toward vulnerable clients and abusive to employees, entered the shelter despite the ban and refused to leave when ordered out.

“Shut the f-k up, I’m not listening to you,” he told an employee.

He headed to the sleeping area, and when he again refused to leave the employee took away his sleeping mat. Fleming threatened to kill anyone who touched him, and as two employees led him toward the exit he turned around and struck one of them. He was finally taken to the front door where he pulled out a knife and lunged toward them before walking away from the shelter.

While police were interviewing the shelter employees, dispatch notified the officers that Fleming had called 911 and said he was at a nearby gas station. Police went to the gas station and arrested Fleming, and during a search found a folding knife.

Lethbridge lawyer Claudia Connolly said Fleming realizes what he did was wrong, but she reminded court that he called the police and told them where he was.

“Unfortunately he’s struggled with mental health issues all his life,” Connolly said, adding he suffers from schizophrenia and depression.

And although Connolly said she believes Fleming is normally a soft-spoken, gentle person, he knows he has problems with which he must wrestle.

“At times he’s not really in control.”

Judge Kristin Ailsby agreed with the recommendation by the Crown and defence for a two-month jail sentence, but she gave Fleming full credit for time he had already spent in remand custody, which completes his sentence.

“I’m sorry you went through this,” Ailsby said. “I’m sorry that you were so unwell that you threatened and caused harm to people.”

Follow @DShurtzHerald on Twitter