New psych exam ordered for standoff suspect
Aaron Glen Narvey, 32, of Fredericton, is accused of assaulting mother and brother, assaulting police, and many more offences between October and March
A Fredericton man accused of assaulting family members and running down a cop with a vehicle will be assessed to determine if he was out of his mind when he committed his alleged crimes.
Aaron Glen Narvey, 32, of no fixed address, appeared by telephone in Fredericton provincial court from the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre on Friday.
He faces charges of assaulting his mother Shelley Brewer and brother Kristopher Narvey with a weapon (bear spray), unlawfully confining his mother, uttering threats to cause her death and/or bodily harm, and breaching a police undertaking and a probation order, all on March 8.
Narvey is also charged with Oct. 13 counts of assault on a police officer with a weapon (a car), flight, dangerous driving, possession of a stolen car and breach of probation; Sept. 25 counts of assault on his mother, property damage and probation violation; a Sept. 14 probation violation; and a Nov. 14 failure to attend court.
Defence lawyer Alexandra Lebreton asked the court Friday to order that her client undergo a 30-day psychiatric assessment to determine if he might be exempt from criminal responsibility due to a mental disorder at the time of his alleged offences.
She filed documentation with the court in support of that application, noting she had to show grounds upon which the court could find that there was a mental illness at play that would justify the assessment.
Lebreton filed a letter with the court showing Narvey was prescribed anti-psychotic medications during the relevant period of time and was coming from a pharmacy in an effort to get those medications.
She also noted there were behavioural elements referred to in the Crown file that bolstered the assertion her client suffers from mental-health issues, though she didn’t say on the record what that behaviour was..
Narvey initially told the court he didn’t think he’d been diagnosed with a mental illness, but then he said he thought a doctor had identified a specific condition.
“I got schizophrenia. I don’t know, to tell the truth,” he said.
Prosecutor Rodney Jordan said the Crown was taking no position on the assessment request.
Judge Natalie LeBlanc ruled there were sufficient grounds to grant the application, and she remanded Narvey to the Restigouche Hospital Centre, a secure psychiatric facility in Campbellton where such psychiatric assessments are typically conducted.
The judge adjourned the case to July 20, at which time the court will review the results of the assessment.
Narvey previously underwent a five-day psychiatric assessment in March on fitness to stand trial, and it was determined he understood the court process and could participate in his defence.
He was arrested after a three-hour standoff with Fredericton police officers at a Cliffe Street residence the night of March 8.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.