Ottawa man charged in connection with assault of elderly woman makes first court appearance

He will remain in custody until his next court appearance.

Case History

Lethbridge Police say sometime in the early morning hours of May 21, 2019, a man broke into an elderly woman’s home on Fairway Street South and spent the night in a basement bedroom while she was asleep upstairs.

For 18 hours the man stayed in the home, and the woman was not aware of his presence. On the evening of May 22, police say she heard a noise and went to investigate.

That’s when police allege the man in her home repeatedly hit her in the face, knocked her to the ground, and dragged her into the home’s garage. There, he hit the woman in the head several times with a bicycle before he took off in a vehicle.

Just before 11 p.m. the same night, police say an officer dealing with an unrelated matter noticed a vehicle without its headlights on, with a license plate that matched a reported stolen vehicle. The driver was arrested.

The victim was treated at Chinook Regional Hospital for her injuries, which included multiple broken bones in her nose and head injuries. She is now staying with family.

The man arrested has no ties to Lethbridge. Police say he is from Ottawa, and did not know the alleged victim.

by Lara Fominoff

Ottawa man charged in connection with assault of elderly woman makes first court appearance

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