A woman was arrested in Weyburn last Sunday for assaulting a man with a weapon.
Deputy Chief Shane St. John with the Weyburn Police Service said the incident occurred in a public area, and while police did not witness the assault, it had been caught on video.
"These parties don't live together or anything like that, they're just known to each other. I think it's one of those circumstances where minor disagreements build and build," he explained. "Social media has a part to play in that as people say a lot more things on social media than they do in person."
"Instead of getting police involved a lot sooner, things got really, really heated, and crossed the line."
The disagreement escalated when the woman struck the man with an object, causing minor injuries.
"Anything can be used as a weapon. It wasn't an actual weapon, but used as one."
The woman was arrested and released on conditions, including having no contact with the man.
"No contact usually helps keep things calm, and hopefully it doesn't escalate," commented St. John. 'It's always the hope that's the end of the situation and they leave each other alone completely, both parties."
The WPS also arrested a man last Monday following an allegation from a woman of sexual assault.
St. John said evidence is sometimes obtainable, but in some cases, the allegations are enough to press charges.
"With sexual assaults, it's a very large range. It could be the unwanted touching, like physical touch, to something way more severe, of course, and then, depending on the situation with that allegation, if it's believable and sort of consistent, a charge can be laid. The courts can figure out who's telling the truth there. There could be witnesses that come forward as well. You never know with those situations when they play out."
The man was arrested and released on conditions of no contact. If the allegations were of rape, however, this would not be the case, and the victim would be sent to the hospital for an examination.
"The person would likely not be getting out of jail. You'd be worried about the re-offenses, of the safety of the victim, with the more serious assaults, but they're all serious. They're all victimizing."
"They're all traumatizing to the victim, no matter what it is."
St. John said that even suggestive comments could be interpreted as threats.
"It would all depend on the situation and how that person took it. It's just best to report something, if you feel that you've been violated in any way, and even if it comes down to maybe a harassment sort of thing and they're told, 'okay, leave this person alone. If you talk to them again, you will be charged'. So it could turn into some sort of harassment as well if it's all verbal, or it could be a threat, depending on the situation."
"It's best, if you feel like someone violated your rights, to at least talk to us, let us know what's up."
He added that sometimes when one person reports it, others will find the courage to do so as well.
"Sometimes people don't want to come forward but once they do, then you find out there may be other victims."