Woman terrified when door kicked in by stranger

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This article was published 13/02/2025 (396 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Steinbach man was given 48 days jail for kicking in a stranger’s door after a frantic party last January.

Keith Frobisher, 46, pleaded guilty to one count of mischief in Steinbach court Feb. 7. Charges of breaching court orders were dropped in the plea deal.

On Jan. 24, Frobisher admitted to kicking a woman’s door at an apartment complex on the 200 block of Hanover Street in Steinbach.

The victim called RCMP around 10 p.m. for help as he repeatedly kicked and yelled for her to open up. Frobisher was in such an intoxicated state, he had little memory of the incident.

“I don’t know what she looks like,” he told court when protective conditions were ordered for the woman.

The door was open when police arrived.

Crown attorney Jonathan Mayes said this was more serious than most mischief charges.

“In this situation [the victim] has spoken to the Crown and indicated it was very frightening for her before the door was opened. I can only imagine when you’re in your residence and you hear someone kicking at your door, not fully aware of what’s going on on the other side of the door, and there’s a moment in time where this is extraordinarily concerning and fearing for her safety. This person could have very dangerous motives potentially,” said Mayes.

He added that this was very close to being a break and enter charge, which would carry a much more serious penalty.

“I should have been more responsible,” Frobisher told court when given a chance to speak.

Defence attorney Mike Cook said Frobisher suffered from PTSD after seeing a cousin hit and killed by a train. Frobisher grew up in Winnipeg but has lived in Steinbach and Ste Anne as an adult.

Frobisher had a lengthy record that included break and enter and mischief dating back to 2001. It had been 13 years since his last conviction.