Woman’s sentencing set for screwdriver attack

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on January 31, 2024.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A Lethbridge woman who injured a man she attacked with a screwdriver last year, is set to be sentenced today in a Lethbridge courtroom.

Stacey Leigh Carlson was at the Lethbridge homeless shelter on Sept. 10 of last year when, at about 6:30 a.m., she approached a man sleeping on the floor and attacked him with a screwdriver.

“She made seven stabbing motions toward (the man’s) face, and struck him, causing injuries,” Crown Prosecutor James Rouleau said during a hearing last month in Lethbridge court of justice.

The victim was taken to the hospital, where he received staples for two cuts to the back of his head.

Immediately following the attack, Carlson went after a second man and stabbed him in the abdomen three times with the screwdriver, but the weapon didn’t penetrate his body and he was not injured.

Shelter staff intervened and held Carlson until police arrived.

Carlson, who is currently in remand custody at the Lethbridge Correctional Centre, was facing two charges each of assault with a weapon, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace, but she pleaded guilty Dec. 19 to two counts of assault with a weapon.

Sentencing was adjourned to allow time for the preparation of a Gladue report, which will provide the judge with Carlson’s personal circumstances and details about her aboriginal background to help determine a fit sentence.

The matter was set for a sentencing hearing Tuesday, but it was adjourned until today when the sentencing judge will be available.