Man arrested for North Battleford church bear spray incident

(Courtesy: Saskatchewan RCMP)

A 38-year-old man has been charged related to a recent bear spray incident at a North Battleford church.

The man, who is from North Battleford, has been charged with four counts of assault, mischief, committing a common nuisance, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a dangerous weapon.

The incident happened Sunday at St. Paul’s Anglican Church at around 10:40 a.m.

Battlefords RCMP were alerted to a disturbance and received another follow-up call about bear spray being used inside the church. Around 25 people affected by the bear spray, including several children.

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When police arrived, the accused was being held by several people inside of a hallway before he was taken into custody by police.

Aside from the effects of bear spray, no other physical injuries were reported to police.

RCMP said on Sunday that it does not believe the act to have been a hate crime-motivated incident.

The accused appeared in North Battleford Provincial Court on Monday, May 4.