No criminal record for mother’s school outburst

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/05/2022 (1109 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Steinbach woman who falsely accused a police officer of groping her during a chaotic arrest at her child’s elementary school three years ago will be spared a criminal record if she abides by a conditional discharge handed down by a judge who was initially reluctant to impose such a lenient sentence.

Madeline Elaine Rupert, 32, was sentenced last Thursday in Steinbach provincial court to probation and 10 hours of community service work. She must also write letters of apology to the arresting officer and to the staff of Woodlawn School.

Steinbach RCMP attended the school on June 13, 2019 to arrest a “belligerent” parent who was refusing to leave school property. Court heard Rupert had to be carried into and out of the police cruiser.

Rupert explained she arrived at the school feeling “extremely frustrated” after trying for more than six months to get “additional supports” for her child, whom she feared was in danger.

“She was essentially refusing to leave until things had been figured out,” her defence lawyer, Scott Wilson, said.

When police arrived, Rupert yelled, kicked, and bit the officers, who arrested her for causing a disturbance. She was later charged with assaulting a peace officer. Wilson previously argued the bite was an attempt by Rupert to clear her airway.

Rupert then accused one of the officers of groping her during the arrest, prompting an investigation by the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba, a watchdog agency that probes allegations of police misconduct.

In April 2020, the IIU closed its investigation after reviewing school surveillance footage and interviewing three civilian witnesses and two police witnesses and finding no evidence of groping.

Wilson noted Rupert did not appeal the IIU’s finding or go public with her allegation.

She pleaded guilty last September to assaulting a peace officer, but her February sentencing hearing was halted by Judge Larry Allen, who questioned the appropriateness of a conditional discharge and adjourned the case to hear more arguments from lawyers.

Reconvening last Thursday, Wilson said Rupert had “changed significantly” since the incident by taking a course of counselling longer than what the court required.

Rupert told the judge she was “deeply, deeply sorry” for the incident.

“When that happened, I was feeling deeply frightened for my child’s safety.”

Allen commended her for making strides since the arrest, saying he was now satisfied a discharge was appropriate.

“God knows the pressures on single parents,” he remarked.

He also stressed a police misconduct complaint “can be career-ending for police officers, particularly in a small community.”

-with files from Nicole Buffie