Mom pleads guilty in bat attack

DISPUTE STARTED OVER A $20 DEBT

One of three people accused of attacking two others at a residence in Lethbridge last year has pleaded guilty to two counts of assault with a weapon.

Serina Justine Nooitgedagt entered the pleas Thursday during a hearing in Lethbridge provincial court, where the 23-year-old mother admitted she was part of a fight in which she attacked a man and woman with a bat.

Nooitgedagt and two others were at a northside residence Oct. 15, 2016 when an altercation between two men broke out over a $20 debt.

During the fight Nooitgedagt swung a bat at one of the men, but missed, then she swung it at the man’s girlfriend, striking her on the wrist.

The court ordered a pre-sentence report, which will provide personal information and circumstances about the accused to help the judge determine a fit sentence, and the case was adjourned to Oct. 16.

A police report issued following the assault indicated the victim was also stabbed with a knife, and a hatchet was also wielded during the attack against him and his girlfriend.

Everyone involved in the incident left the area, although the male victim went to the hospital a short time later after realizing he had been injured. He sustained a non-life threatening puncture wound to his chest, which required surgery, while his girlfriend sustained bruising and swelling to her hand.

One of the accused, Brett Alan Anderson, 21, of Lethbridge, was charged with assault with a weapon. He is scheduled for trial Tuesday.

The third accused, 21-year-old Neil Joseph Schuler of Lethbridge, was charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon.

He is scheduled for a court hearing Aug. 22.