A woman who formerly lived in St. Albert pleaded guilty halfway through her trial Thursday to an attempted assault.
Tanya Lysohirka, who currently resides in Lloydminster, opted to represent herself during her trial where she was accused of assaulting a man who was in a house with her in the early morning hours of June 28, 2008. She was also charged with failing to appear in court for her first trial in January 2010.
Const. Robert Jackson testified that he arrived at Lysohirka’s home around 5:40 a.m. on June 28 after a complaint about a potential domestic issue. Jackson said he found the defendant intoxicated and aggravated about letting police into her home to ensure everyone inside was fine.
While talking to a male in the residence, the officer and his partner asked if anyone else was in the house. The male revealed there was a three-year-old child upstairs, angering Lysohirka.
“At that point she picked up the glass tumbler off the coffee table and huffed it at [the male],” Jackson testified, adding that it hit a nearby wall.
“She was very upset he gave the name of the child.”
At the end of Jackson’s testimony, Lysohirka said the glass went nowhere near the male. She then asked Judge Leo Burgess if she could plead to a lesser charge of attempted assault, saying she never actually assaulted the male but would have if she hadn’t been arrested when she was.
She also agreed to plead guilty to failing to appear in January, saying she forgot about the case.
“I had a broken foot for six weeks afterwards, I had an order … that kept me out of my house, I lost my job,” she said. “I just want this over with.”
Lysohirka added that she started therapy in January to address a number of personal issues, including anger management. She also said she hasn’t had a drink in months.
As a result, Burgess fined her $150 for the attempted assault and $200 for failing to appear in court.
A man who pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana will get his 2003 Nissan Pathfinder back, but will forfeit $26,000 found in the vehicle.
Crown prosecutor Jeff Morrison and defence attorney Jake Chadi announced the deal for Mohamed Mounir Torbeih in a St. Albert courtroom Thursday, dropping three other charges against Torbieh. Under the terms, Torbieh would have to give a portion of the money found in his truck to his lawyer to cover his fees and give the remainder to the Crown.
As well, Torbieh will have to pay an unspecified fine for the possession charge.
