Halifax man charged with robbing 3 elderly women and punching 1 in the face

A career criminal released from prison less than six months ago has been charged in connection with a home invasion and a break-in involving victims in their 80s, one of whom was punched in the face.

Paul Alexander Sponagle, 43, will remain in jail over the holidays following a brief appearance Friday in Halifax provincial court.

Halifax Regional Police said he has been charged with:

• Three counts of robbery.
• Two counts of breaking and entering.
• Assault causing bodily harm.
• Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
• Uttering threats.
• Disguise with intent.

The Crown was opposed to his release because "it appears that he does pose a significant risk to the community," Crown prosecutor Sean McCarroll said outside court.

Police said they got a 911 call at 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday from the 3200 block of Pennington Street in Halifax after an 85-year-old woman home alone opened her door when she heard a knock.

"Before I could even say anything, they punched me right in the face," Jeanette MacDonald told CBC News earlier this week.

Bruises and cuts

MacDonald said a man immediately punched her in the face twice, pulled her out of her home, demanded money and threatened that he had a gun. Neighbours arrived when MacDonald yelled, and the man fled.

Numerous officers and the canine unit weren't able to find the man. MacDonald ended up with bruises and some minor cuts.

Then on Wednesday at 10:42 p.m., police said, they responded to a break-in at an building on Leppert Street.

An 86-year-old woman was in an apartment with her friend, also 86, when a masked man came into the bedroom and demanded money. The first woman gave the man some money and he left the apartment.

Police track down suspect

Police said they obtained video of a man leaving the area. The canine unit tracked him to the Mumford bus terminal, police said.

Police arrested Sponagle at 12:38 a.m. Thursday at the 2400 block of Gottingen Street. He was taken into custody without incident and faces robbery charges related to all three women.

"It's extremely upsetting because these are vulnerable members of our community and everybody takes it very seriously," Halifax Regional PoliceConst. Dianne Penfound said.

"That this happened was outrageous."

Sponagle, who has 37 prior criminal convictions dating back to 1991, is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 3. He faces a bail hearing at that time, and will also answer to assault charges relating to separate incidents.

Lengthy criminal history

Sponagle was released from prison this summer after serving almost all of a 14-year sentence for a slew of offences, including four robberies. Some of them were committed while he was out on parole for other crimes.

Parole Board of Canada documents say Sponagle offended to fuel a drug addiction and has spent the majority of his adult life behind bars. In a July decision shortly before the end of his sentence, the board concluded the man still had "a propensity for violence."

In one set of robberies, the parole board said Sponagle broke into a home and stole a vehicle he then used to try to rob two hotels.

"Substance abuse, your attitude, emotional instability, and impulsivity are stressors/factors that could lead you to commit an offence involving violence," the parole board said.