Councillor, residents charged after altercation with baseball bat

Charges have been filed against a Membertou band councillor and two residents after an altercation earlier this week left two vehicles damaged.

Charged are Coun. Craig Justin Christmas, 41, and husband and wife Jonathan Lindsey Paul, 39, and Ashley Lena Paul, 37. All three were released from custody Friday after promising to have no contact with each other and that they will not possess any weapons.

Lindsey and Ashley Paul are also prohibited from contacting a second band councillor, Cary Paul.

Christmas is charged with assault with a weapon (a baseball bat) involving Lindsey Paul and mischief by damaging the windows of Paul’s truck.

He is to return to provincial court Dec. 6 to enter pleas.

Ashley Paul is charged with assault with a weapon (a baseball bat), involving Cary Paul, mischief by damaging the windows of the truck owned by Christmas and breaching a court order by failing to keep the peace and be of good behaviour. She was treated in hospital for non-life-threatening injuries after the altercation.

Ashley Paul is scheduled to stand trial next April on unrelated offences of assault, uttering a threat and mischief.

Lindsey Paul is charged with assault with a weapon (a baseball bat) involving Cary Paul and two counts of uttering threats.

Ashley and Lindsey Paul are to return to court Dec. 5 to enter pleas.

The incident is to have occurred in Membertou Nov. 6 and just what sparked the altercation is unclear. Police have obtained videotape of part of the altercation that occurred on the street outside the Pauls’ home.