No video footage is known to exist of an alleged assault at the end of a KIJHL playoff game at the Beaver Valley arena last year, a courtroom has been told.
Beaver Valley Nitehawks president Steve Piccolo testified during the second day of Glenn Holbrook’s trial that while he reviewed security footage of Holbrook entering the building, he has not seen archived video footage of the game and police did not request it.
Holbrook, who was 57 at the time, is charged with aggravated assault against Kevin Doherty of Fruitvale, who was 47.
Provincial court judge Rob Brown, who is hearing the case alone in Rossland, has been told that the incident happened on March 19, 2025, in the final game of a series between Beaver Valley and Grand Forks.
The Crown says Doherty confronted Holbrook at the end of the game about using an airhorn and that Holbrook in turn caused Doherty to fall down the stairs, resulting in serious injuries.
Piccolo said he called 911 following the incident and asked for police and an ambulance, but only the ambulance showed up.
He said Holbrook wasn’t the only person in the arena that night with an airhorn and it didn’t become a problem until the end of the game. Piccolo said Holbrook remained in the arena after the incident and no one tried to detain him.
Trainer testifies
Garth Georgetti, the trainer of the Nelson Leafs, testified that he saw Holbrook push Doherty down a flight of stairs and then jump on his legs.
Georgetti, who was watching the game from the stands, said Doherty spoke to Holbrook at the end of the game, although he thought the conversation was calm and that Holbrook did not look agitated.
Georgetti testified that Holbrook “semi-stood up, put two hands on [Doherty’s] chest and shoved him down the stairs. He was pretty much airborne down the steep set of concrete stairs.”
Georgetti said Doherty hit the glass at the bottom of the boards with the back of his head and collapsed. Georgetti said he went to check on Doherty, who was “semi-conscious” with dilated eyes, which made Georgetti suspect he had a concussion.
Georgetti said he covered Doherty as “the crowd swarmed over us” and that a man “came down and jumped on his legs and started swinging. I blocked one punch which got me in the side of the head.”
Georgetti testified that Doherty complained his legs were hurt and that he thought his knee was broken. Georgetti said Doherty’s knee and lower leg were bent and he “was in a ball at the bottom of the stairs.”
Georgetti said he put his arms under Doherty’s shoulders, sat him up on a bench, and then handed him off to someone else.
Asked how certain he was that Holbrook jumped on Doherty’s legs, Georgetti said he didn’t see the man’s face because he was concentrating on Doherty, but “I glanced up and he took another swing. That’s when I knew he had jumped on [Doherty’s] legs.”
Defence counsel Alan Perello drew attention to Georgetti’s police statement, in which he said he wasn’t positive Holbrook was the one who jumped on Doherty.
Also testifying was Fruitvale resident Michael Floyd. He said at the game’s end, Doherty put his arm on Holbrook’s shoulder, but Floyd couldn’t hear what was said. He said he turned away for a moment, and when he looked back, Doherty and Holbrook were both down by the glass. Floyd said he ran toward Doherty, who was twitching and going in and out of consciousness.
Witnesses sought
The final witness on the trial’s second day was RCMP Cst. Shawn Plustwa, the lead investigator. He said the 911 call didn’t reach RCMP, but he subsequently met Doherty in hospital and noticed “significant bruising on his right arm,” and noted his legs were in braces.
Plustwa said he contacted the arena and was provided with two videos and a photo taken from surveillance footage, but it did not show the incident. Plustwa said based on those images, a call was put out to identify the suspect, which resulted in witnesses coming forward, including some anonymous callers. Plustwa said their accounts differed slightly, but he felt that was normal.
Plustwa said Holbrook’s lawyer then contacted police, and Holbrook subsequently came in to the Trail RCMP detachment.
Crown counsel has now concluded its case. The defence indicated it will call evidence when the trial resumes on April 29. The case is then expected to adjourn until Oct. 28.
RDKB facilities manager Mark Daines told Vista Radio that the RDKB hasn’t formally banned noisemakers, although they have discussed it. He said the KIJHL has since banned the kind of airhorn used that night.
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