3 youths charged in summer assault of 80-year-old Pembroke woman
Trio allegedly shouted racial slurs, hurled rock at victim and vandalized home
Three young people are facing charges for allegedly assaulting an 80-year-old woman this summer in Pembroke, Ont., about 150 kilometres northwest of Ottawa.
The incident took place when a group of teenagers banged on the woman's door on the night of Aug. 20.
One of the woman's family members told CBC that when she opened the door, the youths shouted racial slurs at her, smashed eggs on her house and threw a rock at her head, sending her to the hospital.
One 12-year-old and two 13-year-olds now each face one count of assault with a weapon, the Upper Ottawa Valley detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said Monday.
At the time of the incident, OPP said it was investigating reports of a "racially-motivated" attack, and that the young people had yelled "racial comments" at the woman.
But when charges were announced on Monday, OPP said further investigation determined race was not the motivation.
"The OPP Hate Crimes/Extremism Unit was consulted and it was determined that, while there may have been a racial aspect to the situation, it was determined not to be a motivating factor in the incident," Const. Shawn Peever said in a news release.
The youths, who can't be identified because of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, are due in court in November.
