Bail hearing thwarted again due to profane outburst

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on September 28, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A Lethbridge man whose bail hearing in April was adjourned after he exploded in a profanity-laced tirade in court, blew another bail hearing Monday following yet another angry outburst at the judge.

Stephen Rene Geworsky was scheduled for a bail hearing on charges of robbery, assault and mischief causing damage under $5,000, but when the judge said he remembered the accused from the April hearing when the accused swore at him and threatened to kill him, Geworsky flew into another rage and had to be removed from the CCTV area at the Lethbridge Correctional Centre.

Geworsky yelled and swore, and denied threatening the judge, but Judge Gregory Maxwell said he reviewed the recording of the April hearing twice to confirm what the accused said.

“That’s exactly what happened,” Maxwell said, adding he was only unsure about whether Geworsky was threatening him or the defence lawyer.

Maxwell said he considered citing Geworsky for the threats, but decided against it.

During the April hearing Geworksy asked to be released on bail, but his lawyer, Ademola Emiloju of Calgary, said he was unable to because he hadn’t received disclosure and he was having computer problems.

Geworsky, who up until that point had been calm, flew into a rage when the judge said he would not get a bail hearing at that time.

“You guys are all f–k’n screwed anyway,” Geworsky said. “Go ahead and lock me up and throw away the key.”

Geworsky continued to rant and rave, and yelled racial slurs at his lawyer after Emiloju told him to stop talking. He then threatened either the judge or his lawyer before a corrections officer removed him from the CCTV room.

“I’ll f–k’n kill ya,” he said.

Maxwell admitted it would be difficult to remain unbiased under the circumstances and he disqualified himself from presiding over the bail hearing Monday. He adjourned the matter for a week to be heard by another judge.

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