Woman ‘feels unsafe in her own home’ after alleged attack

Central Alberta community’s crime crisis is worsening, says family member

A central Alberta family is speaking out after a mother of four was allegedly beaten and robbed of her SUV right in front of her home this week.

Nicole Safron said her sister, Jolene, 29, is suffering not only physical wounds but emotional wounds from what happened Wednesday near her home in Eckville.

“She’s emotionally pretty upset — her home had been broken into the previous week as well,” she said. “She feels unsafe in her own home, she’s very anxious, she’s having trouble sleeping.”

The incident happened last Wednesday, when Safron said two women were dropped off in front of her sister’s home by someone in a truck.

“The women who were dropped off were carrying a blue bag,” said Safron. “(My sister) ended up sounding an alarm and called people for help and calling 911.

“She decided to get into her vehicle and see where they were until police get there. There’s always a concern that once police get there, they can’t find the (suspects).”

With the truck continuing through a field toward their other sister’s home eventually getting stuck and catching flames, Safron said, Jolene was allegedly attacked by the pair who she thought had planned to try to get into her home.

“My sister said she looked away for a split second and the girls were able to get her (SUV) door open and get her out of the vehicle,” Safron said, adding the pair then are alleged to have beaten her sister before fleeing in her sister’s Dodge Durango.

As this all happened, her father was on the phone with Jolene.

“As they were attacking her, he heard them telling her they were going to shoot her in the face and she was pleading with them to not kill her as she has a newborn baby and children who need her,” added Safron.

Abandoned nearby, RCMP say, were two prohibited firearms.

RCMP in Sylvan Lake said Friday that Chelsea Crowley, 27, and Brianna Crookedlegs, 20, were charged with eight weapons charges and one count of robbery. Crowley was also charged with five counts of breach of recognizance.

The driver of the truck, RCMP say, is believed to have stolen a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado from a nearby residence.

Safron said the attack on her sister comes not only four weeks after she gave birth to her fourth child, but a week after a brazen mid-day break and enter that saw Jolene home alone facing an intruder.

And it comes at a time of frustration for the family, who feels their concerns still are not being heard.

“Within the past 10 years, you started to hear about a few things, but in the last five years things have gotten outrageous,” said Safron of the area where her family has lived for decades. “Someone is going to get seriously hurt.

“I think it’s been disregarded and just left. At the end of the day, we want to live our lives and we want to protect our families and protect the things we’ve worked hard to have.”

Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer spoke with the family this week, and during question period on Thursday, brought up the assault.

“Last night I had one of the hardest phone calls I had to do in my life,” said a pointed Schweitzer. “I talked to a husband, a father, whose wife this last week was beaten by four individuals that broke onto his property.

“Two of (the alleged attackers) were caught, Mr. Speaker — one of them had a record longer than you could list. That’s why I’ve invited people to come to Rocky Mountain House to hear about the rural crime crisis that we have because it’s real and we will be decisive in how we respond.”

Schweitzer has been on the road travelling across Alberta since the start of September when he launched a rural crime tour that started in Bragg Creek. Since then, it’s been expanded with even more stops.

The Rocky Mountain House meeting will be held Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Lou Soppit Community Centre.