Assault victim drops charges

A woman who was held up in her own home and chopped with a machete dropped all charges against the four accused today in the Magistrate Court. Catherine Blease, with the assistance of the Ombudsman’s Office, withdrew the charges of aggravated burglary, aggravated assault, and wounding against Brenda Usher, Darwin Usher, Patty Usher, and Levan Lewis releasing them from any legal obligation and from prison where they had been on remand since the October eleventh. The four were facing a minimum of three months in jail because of the weapon used in the incident. They were however, bound over to keep the peace for one year or be liable for a thousand dollar fine. Blease had reported to police that on October tenth the two men and two women entered her home on Arlington Drive and Patty Usher attempted to stab her with a pair of scissors. Blease grabbed a machete to defend herself, but dropped it and Usher then used it to chop her in the arm and back. She also alleges that Darwin Usher pointed a gun at her and threatened to kill her if she reported them to police.