Assault nets jail after Pincher Creek mall attack

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on June 26, 2024.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A 27-year-old man charged with robbery in connection with a violent incident at a business in Pincher Creek last year, was handed a jail sentence after pleading guilty to a lesser charge Monday in Lethbridge court of justice.

Justice Noel One Owl pleaded not guilty to the original charge, but guilty to common assault, for which he received a six-month sentence.

On April 6, 2023 Pincher Creek RCMP responded to a report of an assault in progress in the parking lot of the Ranchland Mall. When police arrived One Owl was leaving the area but was arrested.

One Owl was seen stealing from the Co-op Marketplace, and when an employee followed him outside the store and asked him to return the stolen items, One Owl attacked him.

The employee was struck several times, and after he fell to the ground, One Owl kicked him and continued the assault. Court was told the victim, who sustained a swollen nose and bruises, did not fight back and several bystanders had to intervene.

Although One Owl, who has a criminal record with convictions for assault and uttering threats, was sentenced to six months in jail, he was given credit for just under five and a half months he spent in pre-disposition custody, leaving him with 19 days to serve. He is also prohibited from possessing weapons for 10 years.

Margaret Morse, student-at-law, explained One Owl has suffered from a fentanyl addiction since he was 22 years old, and at the time of the offence he was high on drugs, hungry, thirsty and desperate.

“I apologize for what I did,” One Owl told the judge. “I wanna get back into school when I’m released, find a job and stay off the streets and off drugs.”

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