Woman found guilty of assaulting neighbour with baton

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on July 17, 2024.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A Lethbridge woman who attacked another woman last summer and repeatedly struck her with a baton, won’t be sentenced until later this summer.

Justice Sylvia Oishi found Tayler Shae Knapp-Johnson guilty of assault with a weapon during a hearing this week in Lethbridge court of justice. However, Oishi adjourned sentencing until Sept. 11 to allow time for the preparation of a pre-sentence report detailing Knapp-Johnson’s background and personal circumstances.

Oishi noted in her decision that the version of events presented during trial earlier this year by the victim and Knapp-Johnson were “entirely at odds,” leaving the main issue one of credibility.

“I find a great deal in Miss Knapp-Johnson’s testimony lacking in detail,” Oishi said. “She’s intentionally vague, evasive, self-serving. I cannot tell from her evidence what happened because there are so many gaps in her version of events.”

Oishi said she does not believe Knapp-Johnson’s testimony, and it doesn’t raise reasonable doubt given the cogent and credible evidence by the victim, as well as her husband who was also involved in the altercation on Aug. 30, 2023.

The victim testified during trial she had long-standing concerns about activities at a house next door and had previously reported issues to police of alleged child pornography, domestic disturbances, drug dealing, yelling, screaming and vehicles driving on the lawn.

She said it was “chaos” and the occupants of the house had terrorized them and the neighbourhood for several months.

The woman said there had been a domestic disturbance at the house on the night of Aug. 29, 2023 involving about six people. Police were called, but the fighting continued into the following day.

After returning from work, the woman went into the alley behind her house where bike parts were scattered everywhere and two men and two women, one of whom appeared to be smoking meth, had gathered. She told the group to “move along” and said she didn’t appreciate “meth heads and bike chopshops” behind her home and they were tired of it.

The woman and the group of people yelled at each other, and after insulting Knapp-Johnson the woman turned to walk away but Knapp-Johnson spit on her then began trying to punch her in the head.

“She heard Miss Knapp-Johnson yell at the second female to ‘get out the batons,’ which scared (the victim),” Oishi said.

The victim said Knapp-Johnson and her friend ran at her from two sides, and Knapp-Johnson struck first.

“(The victim) said it was all she could do to avoid getting hurt too badly. She turned away from the blows and raised her arms to protect her head, and as she dodged the blows she tried to move toward the back gate to escape,” Oishi said, adding the woman sustained extensive bruising on the back and shoulders.

During the altercation, the victim’s husband had intervened and was assaulted by the two men, one of whom whipped him with a metal chain and lock.

Eventually the couple retreated to their yard and closed the gate, but the other individuals moved toward them and said, “now we know where you live, we’re going to come and get you.”

Knapp-Johnson testified at trial that she and the others were not using drugs in the alley and were trying to clean up the mess. She said the neighbour initiated the altercation by being rude, confrontational and making assumptions about who they were and what they were doing.

She said she spit on the ground to show disrespect, and the woman responded by grabbing her hair and they scuffled, during which Knapp-Johnson’s friend handed her a baton.

“Regarding the possession of the baton, Knapp-Johnson testified, ‘I can’t say I ever used it on anyone,’ ” Oishi noted, but added she found Knapp-Johnson to be vague, indirect and “somewhat self-serving.”

Knapp-Johnson denied many of the accusations made by the victim and said she never did anything she is accused of.

“She denies having done anything untoward throughout the whole incident, and barely implicates her friend,” Oishi said.