A Grande Prairie parent, Alice Michael Attwood, 35, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault following a Feb. 19 incident that left their two children with knife wounds and requiring immediate medical aid.
Const. Corey Riggs, the RCMP public information officer, confirmed that Attwood was arrested and taken before a justice of the peace. They were released until their next court date. Riggs said there are few details. The file is still under investigation, and no media release was made following the incident.
A family member, who asked to remain anonymous to protect other family members told DHT they were advised that a Form-8 was another course of action that might protect family members and the public at large.
A Form-8 is a warrant issued by an Alberta judge following an application when there may be reasons to arrest the individual for psychiatric assessment. The individual may pose a risk to themselves or others because of their mental capacity. The warrant allows the attending physician to keep the individual in a medical facility for up to 30 days. She added that the successful application was a relief for family members.
Now they could focus their efforts on ensuring the children’s safety and that the injured daughter was on the road to recovery.
Attwood worked with Alberta Health Services as an EMT in Fairview for several years, said Joan. She believes them to be very capable of manipulating others and telling them what they want to hear. That’s why learning they were going to be released from GPRH on Feb. 25 wasn’t as big of a surprise as it should have been.
That they can be out and a continued threat to the family is reprehensible, she added. An eight-year-old child whose esophagus was severed in the attack faces several months on a feeding tube. Other family members are scrambling to find ways to ensure and their safety, she added.
Attwood’s social media platforms including Discord and Facebook have had posts mentioning the attacks since their arrest.
“Umm I stabbed a hole in her shoulder yes but…held it shut until EMS arrived…yes I stabbed her but I didn’t slash her like that at all. I was trying to remain optimistic given my situation that doesn’t mean i haven’t been remorseful. It sucks and I apologize. I’ll just…take my space and do my therapy.” reads one post screen shot by another Discord user and posted again to Facebook.
An outpouring on social media focused on admissions posted to Attwood’s accounts and support for the injured children and impacted family.
Beside the safety of the children, Joan wants to know how or why a court would release Attwood after they admitted to committing the acts. No one in the family wanted to see information in the media, she said. But somehow no one believed there was a continued risk to family members.
“The court system has really dropped the ball here.”
Attwood is scheduled to appear at the Alberta Court of Justice in Grande Prairie on Mar. 13.