A 41-year-old man from Charlottetown has been sentenced to over a year in prison after admitting to endangering and threatening his son by almost dropping the child from a third-floor apartment. The man faced charges in July following a report to Charlottetown police about an assault at a residence downtown. According to a news release, a witness saw the man holding the child over a balcony on the third floor.
During a court appearance via video link from the Provincial Correctional Centre, where he has been since his arrest, the man pleaded guilty to charges of child endangerment, threatening a child, and assaulting another adult present at the time. Crown prosecutor Jacqueline MacMillan informed the court that neighbors witnessed the man’s reckless behavior while he was heavily intoxicated, standing on a balcony with his son and uttering threats.
The neighbors alerted the authorities and shouted at the man to stop as the child cried and screamed. The child held onto his father as he slipped, causing them both to fall down a flight of stairs. Subsequently, the man confronted a neighbor before being subdued until the police arrived. Judge Jeff Lantz, while sentencing the man to 365 days in jail, emphasized the seriousness of the endangerment to the child and urged the man to reform.
The man expressed remorse to the witnesses and affirmed his love for his children, vowing to seek help for mental health and addiction issues. The court disclosed that the children would be placed in foster care. Following the credit for time served, the man will spend 166 days in prison and face a two-year probation after his release.