WESTLOCK – A Westlock teenager with serious “mental health issues” who bit the hand of an RCMP officer while being arrested, will receive counselling as part of a year-long probation order and perform a bevy of community-service hours.
In Westlock Court of Justice July 26, Justice Jeffrey Morrison agreed to a joint-sentence submission from Crown prosecutor Brett Grierson and defence lawyer Richard Forbes for a 12-month probation order, in addition to 25 hours of community service done within 10 months for a 17-year-old boy who pleaded guilty to assaulting a peace officer — three additional unspecified charges were withdrawn by Grierson. As per the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the name of the teenager can’t be published.
Justice Morrison said he was “concerned” by the assault noting it wasn’t “trivial” and that some police officers have been infected with diseases like AIDS after being bitten.
“When you get to the point of spitting on someone or biting them … biting is particularly invasive and, frankly, it’s a dangerous assault. You break skin, so whatever you have, they have,” said Justice Morrison. “I’ve seen cases where innocent police officers have gotten AIDS from people after being bitten. That didn’t happen in this case, but a bite is an ugly assault. This wasn’t a trivial matter.”
Grierson noted the teen had no prior criminal record, while Forbes said the boy has struggled with his mental health and previously spent time in Alberta Hospital. Since the offence, the young man has moved out of his mother’s home and is currently “couch surfing” but has plans to finish his high school courses online.
“He’s in the process of having those mental-health issues diagnosed and the focus of probation is treatment and counselling and I look forward to having those doors opened for him,” said Forbes.
Added Justice Morrison directly to the teen, who ordered him to report to the probation office that day: “You need to take the help they’re going to be offering you very seriously. The focus of youth court is rehabilitation, along with taking accountability for what you’ve done. You’re on the threshold of being an adult, so this is a good wake-up call for you to get some help.
“I hope I don’t see you back here.”
The crime
Grierson told court that on June 8, 2023, Westlock RCMP received a call from the teen’s mother saying he was suicidal and “didn’t want to hurt his girlfriend anymore.”
Police attended the scene and learned there had been a “conflict between the victim and the accused” and an arrest was initiated after they saw “the condition they found his girlfriend in.”
Grierson said the arrest turned ugly as the teen “flailed around” and “did not follow police direction” and while being placed into the cruiser, he bit the left thumb of the arresting officer which caused a blood blister.
