MOOSE JAW — Frustrated that the Ministry of Social Services took his kids, Michael David Anderson phoned the office and demanded to speak to the minister — or he would go on a shooting rampage.
Anderson, 40, phoned the ministry’s Moose Jaw office around 11 a.m. on Nov. 2, 2021, and was told the minister was not around, Crown prosecutor Stephen Yusuff said recently in provincial court. The ministry spokeswoman attempted to calm Anderson and told him the minister would call him back.
“Mr. Anderson told (the spokeswoman) that his children were apprehended and that this was causing his mental health to deteriorate. Mr. Anderson stated, ‘If someone does not call me back, it’s going to make me want to do something stupid … . I’m going to cause harm to other people. I’m going to start shooting people,’” Yusuff continued.
Anderson sounded anxious and panicked to the ministry spokeswoman because he was speaking quickly. He also kept saying that he wanted someone to call him back while the spokeswoman attempted to calm him.
Due to the threats, ministry staff evacuated the building because they feared for their safety since they were handling Anderson’s custody issues, the Crown prosecutor added.
Meanwhile, between Oct. 28 and Nov. 1, Anderson sent text messages to his mother threatening to cause death to members of the Moose Jaw Police Service, Yusuff said.
Those messages included, “If I get arrested, I’m shooting at that them, so you’ll probably never see me again in your life;” “If the police come, I’ll be shot, so I’ll be shooting at them. So, either I am dead or in jail;” and “If I see them, I’ll shoot them because I see the undercover cops driving unmarked cars.”
Anderson has appeared in court before on similar charges, the Crown prosecutor added. Previously, he spent eight months in jail and two years on probation for similar offences.
As part of a joint submission on the newest charges, Anderson pleaded guilty to both offences of uttering threats to cause death and received 10 months of jail and 12 months of probation.
Since he spent 90 actual days on remand after police arrested him on Nov. 3, the court credited him with 135 days based on the formula of time-and-a-half. This means he will serve 5.5 months.
“It’s aggravating that he keeps repeating these offences, but he says he will seek (psychological) help,” Yusuff added.
Anderson’s probation terms include keeping the peace and being of good behaviour, reporting to a probation officer, taking programming, seeing a doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist, having no contact with his mother or the ministry spokeswoman or being near their home, work or school, not possessing weapons, and not be near the Ministry of Social Services office unless invited in writing.
Anderson objected to having no contact with his mother, saying he normally picks up his children from his parents’ house.
Since the woman is not the victim but the conduit for Anderson’s threats, he can contact her about custody issues through legal counsel, Yusuff said, noting that Anderson threatened her in the past by text.
The imposition of the no-contact clause with his mother infuriated Anderson, who uttered several vulgar words while describing his displeasure.
“I have to phone a lawyer every time to get the kids? That’s $250 each time … . Use your head. I’m sick of this (nonsense),” he said by video.
Judge Daryl Rayner accepted the joint submission — including the no-contact clause — and agreed to waive the victim surcharge fee.
