BOYLE – A 50-year-old-man from Buffalo Lake spent two weeks behind bars after thrashing and then threatening to burn down a basement suite in his mother’s home.
In Boyle Court of Justice June 11 Norman Leon Reid, 50, pleaded guilty to mischief damage under $5,000 and failure to comply with a release order as part of a joint submission between duty counsellor Dennis Lightning and the Crown.
“He was married for 18 years and that relationship ended in divorce,” said Lightning. “At the time he was struggling with some mental health issues … his life became somewhat tumultuous, he moved to Buffalo Lake but he was struggling there because he wasn’t used to being in the environment.”
Court heard that on Dec. 8, 2022, members of the Boyle RCMP received a complaint from Reid’s sister, who said he was destroying their mother’s house.
When the officers arrived, they found the basement suite destroyed and in total disarray. Reid was located walking down the driveway and after a brief police chase, was arrested.
Reid’s mother told the RCMP he had threatened to burn down her house in a statement made after his arrest. At the time, Reid was on a release order preventing contact with his mother, as well as a no-go order for any known place of residence.
As part of his plea, Reid will be on a year-long probation sentence, where he will be required to attend counselling and treatment for addictions and mental health. Despite the nature of his offence, there will not be a no-contact order with his mother, who was present in the court room during his sentencing.
Justice Andrea Hemmerling accepted the joint submission, noting the substantial gaps in Reid’s criminal record.
“You clearly led a pro-social life for a considerable part of your life,” said Justice Hemmerling. The first entry on Reid’s record was from 1992, and the last one was from 2021.
Reid was in a time served situation — he had spent 10 days in pre-trial custody, which gets enhanced to 15 under sentencing guidelines.
“Since January 2023, he’s been working to get stable housing, he has taken some programs and says that he has stabilized his life in a great way,” said Lightning. “He is hoping to continue that, and reunite with his children who also live in Edmonton.”
