Woman to be sentenced for breaking another’s leg during aggravated assault

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on July 11, 2024.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A Lethbridge woman who brutally assaulted another woman a year ago, will have to wait two more months before she’s sentenced.

Michelle Lynn Rolland pleaded guilty Wednesday in Lethbridge court of justice to a charge of aggravated assault, but sentencing was adjourned to Sept. 8 when Rolland is scheduled to resolve additional, yet unrelated charges, as well.

The assault occurred on June 17, 2023 as a woman was returning to her residence on McGill Boulevard West to finish packing before moving to a new home. While there Rolland confronted her at the front door where she yelled at the other woman and accused her of theft.

Court was told the two women knew each other, and the victim had been allowing Rolland to live with her for about a month before the confrontation.

Rolland ran at the woman and pushed her to the ground, then got on top of her and began punching her in the face. A friend who was with the victim attempted to intervene but he was blocked by a friend of Rolland.

After Rolland stopped punching the other woman she stood up, but her victim remained on the floor with one knee resting on the first step of some stairs leading to the main floor.

“Miss Rolland then stomped on the upper part of (the victim’s) left leg, instantly breaking her thigh bone,” Crown Prosecutor Sheena Campbell told court.

When police arrived the woman was still lying on the floor with a bloody nose, and she was taken to the hospital where doctors performed surgery to repair the broken bone.

Rolland also pleaded guilty to charges of obstructing a peace officer, drug possession and using another person’s credit card.

On Dec. 23, 2020 a man told police his vehicle had been stolen overnight. In the vehicle was the man’s wallet, which held $1,000, as well as a bank card and gas card, which were used to make multiple purchases.

Police reviewed video footage at the Co-op card lock on 5 Avenue North in Lethbridge and the Esso gas station in Coaldale, which showed Rolland using the cards to purchase fuel eight times between Dec. 23-25, 2020 for a total of $660. When she was arrested she confessed she had committed the offences.

At about 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 26 of the same year a police officer patrolling a parking lot on 13 Street North noticed a Pontiac Trans Am with a licence plate not intended for the vehicle. The officer conducted a traffic stop, and as he approached Rolland who was the driver, he noticed a can of bear deterrent on the floor and arrested her for possession of a weapon.

The officer also found a plastic bag with 1.5 gm of methamphetamine and a bag with 3.7 gm of crystal meth. Rolland gave the officer a fictitious name, but during a search of her purse he found her driver’s licence with her identity.

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