OSOYOOS TIMES-September 30, 2009

By Paul Everest - Osoyoos Times

A 50-year-old Osoyoos man has been charged after allegedly trying to strike a former Osoyoos town councillor with a hatchet at Haynes Point Provincial Park on Sept. 22.
Police said Louis Joseph Lemay was arrested and charged with assault, assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon for the purpose of committing an offence after allegedly swinging a hatchet at a man.
A source who witnessed the attack but asked not to be identified said the victim was Allan Carswell.
He was bringing his boat off the water at the park’s boat launch when the suspect appeared and said hello to Carswell, the source said.
She said the suspect began complaining about being homeless and followed Carswell around as he was checking the boat on its trailer.
That caused Carswell to feel uneasy, the source said, and he suggested that it was time to leave.
Then the suspect allegedly pulled a hatchet from his backpack “out of the blue” and swung it towards Carswell’s face, she said, adding that Carswell was able to deflect the weapon with his hands.
Carswell received a few scratches to his nose but was not seriously injured, the source said.
After the suspect swung the hatchet again, Carswell was able to get hold of his arms.
Carswell struggled with the man, the source said, before finally pinning him in some bushes.
She added that women in a nearby parking lot heard calls for help and one of them called the police on her cellphone.
The park’s caretakers and several other people arrived shortly after and eventually the suspect stopped struggling and Carswell was able to let go and walk away.
The source said police  arrived about five minutes later.
The suspect was known to previously be living in a tack room in a barn at Desert Park.
The source said she believes the suspect may blame Carswell for his eviction from the park earlier this summer.
Carswell is the president of the South Interior Equine Recreational Centre, which currently runs the park.
Police said this was apparently a targeted attack and the suspect had allegedly targeted other people in the community.
“He felt the individuals had done him wrong in the past,” said RCMP spokesman Cpl. Mike Field, adding that police have notified the other people Lemay allegedly targeted.
Police were looking for the suspect prior to the attack after receiving information that Lemay was contemplating harming police officers as well as other specific persons, an RCMP media release stated.
Lemay appeared in Penticton provincial court on Sept. 23 and is being kept in custody pending a psychiatric assessment.
He is next scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 22.
Police said Lemay is also facing a charge of uttering threats to another Osoyoos man stemming from an incident that took place on June 30.
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