The obvious was worth stressing, a Grand Bank provincial court judge clearly felt last week, and few might disagree.
“Threatening to chop up anyone with an axe is a scary and violent proposition,” Judge Harold Porter said, sentencing 43-year-old Kevin Bojo Fowlow for that and nine other crimes.
Fowlow made the threat against one of the RCMP officers who came to his home to arrest him on June 8.
Earlier in the day, Fowlow had assaulted a female by snatching a hat off her head.
He had been arrested at that point and released with an order to have no contact with the her, but a half an hour later had gone back and damaged the hat.
Another female in her family also spoke to police, telling them she had seen Fowlow near her car the previous day, and had later discovered the air had been let out of her tires.
When police arrived to arrest him a second time, Fowlow wouldn’t come to the door, standing in a window instead and speaking with the officers. They told him they were there to take him into custody; he responded by telling them he wasn’t coming out, and if they came in he’d be ready for them.
Fowlow then threatened one of the officers with an axe and spoke of “suicide by cop,” showing police a hunting knife which he eventually threw out onto the lawn with a replica handgun pellet gun. Police took Fowlow into custody when he jumped out the window.
Fowlow was granted bail a few days later, with conditions that he not have any contact with the two females and another female in the same family, and that he stay away from their neighbourhood. He was also ordered not to possess a knife except to prepare food.
That same day, one of the women called police to say Fowlow was walking around near her home.
“She called back at midnight, this time to say that the accused was on her property, flashing a flashlight in her window and giving her the one-digit salute," the judge said.
By the time police arrived, Fowlow had gone.
The third female told police Fowlow had called her earlier in the day to say he was out of jail.
When police arrested Fowlow, they found him to be carrying a multi-tool with a knife blade on it.
Fowlow pleaded guilty to 10 charges: mischief for deflating one complainant’s tires; possession of a weapon (the hunting knife) for the commission of an offence; assaulting another complainant by grabbing her hat and mischief for destroying it; threatening the police officer with an axe; prowling at night; and four counts of breaching court orders by carrying the blade and contacting the females.
One of the females submitted a victim impact statement to the court, saying she is stressed, afraid to leave her home and does not feel safe because of Fowlow’s crimes.
Fowlow told the court his actions had been stupid, and that he wants to address his mental health issues, “fix up his life” and go back to work.
“Those are his words, but they communicate the fact that he regrets what he did, has insight into his mental health issues and is ready to get help with this mental health issues,” Porter said.
The Crown argued for an eight-month sentence; the defence argued for five months. Porter gave Fowlow a conditional discharge for the less serious crimes of mischief, and said the most serious of the offences involved the hunting knife, the threats to the RCMP officer, and the assault on the female.
Although grabbing her hat is on the low end of the seriousness scale, an assault is a violent offence, the judge stressed.
Porter sentenced Fowlow to 180 days in prison, leaving him with 79 days left to serve. After that, he’ll be on probation for two years, and will be banned for firearms for 10.
