Blocking police on 911 call nets conviction
Last Updated: Thursday, September 2, 2010 | 9:57 PM CST
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A Yorkton, Sask., woman who tried to block police from entering a home to check on a caller who dialled 911 has been convicted of obstruction of justice.
Alicia Lynn Bodnar, who was finally subdued after seven officers were called to the scene, was also convicted of resisting arrest.
In a decision dated Aug. 26, provincial court Judge Ernie Bobowski said police have a duty to respond to emergency calls and ensure the safety of a caller. The judgment did not address what sentence Bodnar would receive.
RCMP in Yorkton received a 911 call around 2:45 a.m. on Nov. 19, 2009, from Bodnar's mother saying her husband had come home from a rodeo dance intoxicated and was "tearing up the place."
Police officers found Bodnar, then 19, standing on the front porch with the door to the home closed. The judge also noted that Bodnar is six feet tall and weighs 250 pounds.
When one officer approached, she told him the police were not needed and he wouldn't be allowed to enter the home.
'In the police car, she was still screaming and yelling and kicking.' —Judge Ernie Bobowski
Two officers went to arrest the woman for obstruction, but she dropped to ground and began screaming, yelling and kicking.
7 officers needed
Two more officers arrived to provide assistance, but Bodnar "was still kicking her feet and thrashing about with her arms," the judge noted. It was not until three more officers arrived that Bodnar was finally put in handcuffs.
Her feet were also restrained with zip-ties and officers placed her in the back of one of their police cars.
"In the police car, she was still screaming and yelling and kicking at the rear passenger door with enough force to flex it," the judge said.
The judge noted that police were called a second time by Alicia's mother, again complaining about the father. However, when they returned to the home they found the man had left.
The judge heard from several witnesses in the case, including the police, the accused woman and her family.
"The defence evidence in this case is diametrically opposed to the Crown evidence," the judge said. However, he said there were so many discrepancies in the defence evidence that it was not credible.
Yorkton is a city of 15,000 about 190 kilometres northeast of Regina.
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