A Westminster priest was assaulted earlier this month while walking his dogs in the area of 10 Distillery Drive. Police said it was “a random act of violence,” according to court documents.
According to charging documents in Carroll County District Court, the Rev. Pierre-Henry Buisson, rector at the Church of the Ascension in Westminster, told a Westminster Police Department officer that he was standing with his dogs in the parking lot near 10 Distillery Drive on July 17, when he was unexpectedly punched in the back of the head by a man wearing a knit hat and grey clothing. After he was hit, he fell and hit his face on the ground.
The county’s Department of Citizen Services, Carroll County Community Action Agency, Human Services Programs of Carroll County and Carroll County Food Sunday are all located at 10 Distillery Drive.
Kalenn Alexander Bernard, 35, whose current residence is listed as the homeless shelter at 127 Stoner Ave., in Westminster, has been charged with second-degree assault in the case, according to charging documents.
The two men had no contact prior to the alleged assault, charging documents state: “It is noted that this incident was a random act of violence.”
Buisson’s injuries included scratches to his left knee, lacerations on both hands and a laceration and small bump on the right side of his forehead, just above his eye. He was transported to Carroll Hospital Center for treatment.
When contacted, a church employee said the church had no comment.
During an investigation of the assault, police received video footage from Danielle Yates, bureau chief of housing for the county. The footage shows a man wearing black clothing and a black knit hat sitting on a bench in front of 10 Distillery Drive, then walking up stairs to the parking lot, running at Buisson, and punching him in the back of the head with a closed right fist, according to court documents.
Police said that they have had “multiple calls for service in reference to Bernard,” and that an officer “sees Bernard during every shift walking around downtown,” according to the charging documents.
Bernard is being held without bail in the Carroll County Detention Center, at the request of the State’s Attorney’s Office of Carroll County.
A trial is set for 1:15 p.m. on Sept. 17 in district court.
A native of Rochefort, France, Buisson has been rector at the Westminster church since August 2023. He served several churches in Maryland, Arizona and Virginia before settling in Westminster last year with his wife and children, according to the church’s website.
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