Woman pleads guilty to assault with a pry bar

A woman who suffers from schizophrenia but had not taken her medication for several months was sent to jail for attacking two people at the Lethbridge Emergency Shelter.

Crystal Joyce Mills was walking through the shelter’s courtyard Dec. 8 last year and was acting irrationally before she approached a woman and hit her on the head with a 12-inch metal pry bar. A 68-year-old man with a walker intervened to divert Mills’ attention from her victim, but she turned on the man, and while they argued she attacked him.

Mills struck him on the shoulder and arm and continued swinging the pry bar at him. She also punched him several times while the man, who stood his ground, could only raise both arms to defend himself from the onslaught. The attack ended when one of several bystanders pulled her away from the man.

Mills screamed, yelled and waved the weapon at a small crowd of people that had gathered, and invited them to come and get hit, as well. She then smashed four windows at the shelter, causing about $2,000 in damage.

Mills pleaded guilty this week in Lethbridge provincial court to two counts of assault, and one count each of mischief and breach of probation. She was sentenced to just over two months in jail, but she won’t have to serve any more time in custody given the amount of time she spent in remand following her arrest.

She must also submit a sample of her DNA for the National DNA Databank, and while she is on probation she is prohibited from possessing weapons and contacting the two people she attacked.

Lethbridge lawyer Wade Hlady told court Mills had been off her medication for several months, which explains her irrational behaviour. And while he acknowledged the serious nature of the incident, he suggested her level of responsibility is lower, given her mental health issues.

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