Woman who pleaded guilty to mischief for harassing family of sick child gets conditional discharge

The sentence for a Belleville woman who pleaded guilty to mischief has been discharged under certain conditions.

Back in August 2018, Belleville police received a complaint that 33-year-old Lisa Bark had been calling media outlets and posting social media posts about a family who were asking for donations to help their son with his cancer treatments.

Police say she was trying to discredit the family, saying the fundraisers were a fraud. It turns out, they were not, and she was charged with criminal harassment.

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On Jan. 21, 2019, Bark pleaded guilty to one count of mischief for interfering in the family’s use and enjoyment of social media.

But on June 20, Bark received a total discharge on the condition that she must enter a peace bond for six months, give a $500 donation to Kingston Children’s Cancer Centre in the child’s name, and write a public apology letter to the family.

The letter has been provided to Global News, but won’t be circulated because it mentions the name of the child.

“I apologize for any undue stress I have caused you. I acknowledge that you are going through a very difficult time with (your son’s) cancer treatments, and I am truly sorry that my actions impacted you in a negative way,” the letter wrote.