Double Double Toil and Trouble

Tonight, my neighbour got arrested for assault. This is what happened.

Her husband was an actor. He passed away last year. The television studio he was attached to asked her to present an award in his honour. As she prepared to leave the house, she noticed a Direct Energy van blocking the driveway. She got into her car and honked. The wife of the neighbour next door peeked out. Neighbour got out of her car and asked if the serviceman could move the van. The wife said, "Oh is it in your way? Just a minute."

Neighbour went back to her house to get the rest of her things. Five minutes later, she came out again to see the van still blocking the driveway. She scrape the snow off her car and before going back into the house, called on next door again. This time, the husband answered the door. He told her she could back her car out without the van being moved, that the serviceman was busy. Neighbour raised her voice, "No, there isn't enough room to back out."

The huband started yelling and swearing at her. He pushed her and punched her, then slammed the door on her. She stumbled back and nearly fell. She got angry and knocked on his door again. He opened the door and she hit him with the ice scraper she happened to have in her hand. He punched her two more times. The wife stood by and screamed, "Stop it." Then the husband grabbed Neighbour's purse, ran inside the house, and slammed the door again.

Neighbour banged on the door again and asked for her purse back. She saw it in his hand and grabbed it back. She said, "And now, I am going to call the police."

She did so, then phoned me to ask me to be with her when the police came. She was distraught. She had just been assaulted. Fifteen minutes later, the police had not arrived. She phoned again. She was now going to miss the award ceremony. She was frantic as she did not know how to get in touch with the awards organizers to let them know.

Finally, the police came. They went next door first. Fifteen minutes later, they came to see her. Already, their faces told me they were not on her side. They were responding to the call the husband next door placed, not to the calls Neighbour placed. She told them what happened. They said next door gave a completely different version of what happened.

What the police saw was, Neighbour claimed she was punched three times, but she had no bruised marks on her face. Husband next door had a big lump and a cut on his forehead from where Neighbour hit him with the ice scraper. There were also marks on his door from her banging on it with the ice scraper. So they arrested her and took her away.

After they put her in the cruiser, I said to the officer, "Why are you doing this to her?"

He said, "She assaulted her neighbour and damaged his property."

"What about him punching her?"

"It's his word against her word. The injury marks on are him. He has his wife as witness. She has nothing. And you've only got her side of the story."

"Can I go with her?"

"No."

"What if I followed you?"

"You can, but you won't be able to see her."

"Will she come home tonight?"

"Yes, but it'll be four or five hours."

I wasn't arrested, yet I was reeling and shaken. I can just imagine how my poor Neighbour felt. She talks a lot, but she's not a liar. She's gone through a lot in the last two years with her husband and inspite of that, she came out with a new career. Now she will get a record and it will affect her obtaining work in her area. I am on good terms with her because she's a straight shooter. She tells it like it is and I like that.

I can't believe the police treated her that way. She gave me some phone numbers so I can let her friends know what happend. She's just phoned me from the police station now. She was able to get in touch with her lawyer and she will be let out with a peace bond in a couple of hours. That means no bail is required. I will pick her up from the police station and take her to her friend's where she will spend the night.