A building on Ottawa Street that went through a fire in November has endured three break-in attempts over the past month, say Windsor police.
The two-storey multi-unit structure at 943 Ottawa St. — former home of Alibi’s Family Grill — was broken into early Jan. 5, and also sometime overnight between Jan. 11 and Jan. 12.
There would have been a third break-in overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, but the culprits were thwarted by a newly-installed alarm system.
An ad for Alibi’s Family Grill.
The apparent target of the thieves is copper wire. A large amount was stolen out of the building in the Jan. 5 incident, and a smaller amount in the Jan. 11 or 12 incident.
Police estimate the value of all the stolen wire is between $5,000 and $10,000.
Windsor police are looking for anyone who may have witnessed the attack of a woman who had her purse stolen on Wednesday afternoon.
The 33-year-old victim was walking eastbound on Tuscarora Street between Louis Avenue and Marentette Avenue at about 3:25 p.m. when a young male ran up from behind and knocked her to the ground.
The woman dropped her purse which was then picked up by the attacker. The suspect was last seen running south on Marentette. The woman was not injured in the incident.
The male is described as having an olive complexion, about 20 years old with a skinny build and clean-shaven. He was wearing a grey winter tuque and a grey waist-length jacket.
Anyone with information is asked to call Windsor police at 519-255-6700 ext. 4305 or Crime Stoppers at 519-258-8477.
“It’s been very, very positive,” said Windsor police spokesman Sgt. Matthew D’Asti on Wednesday. “The community has responded, and we’re grateful for that.”
“Our forensic identification specialists have had to order additional DNA kits in light of the response.”
Cassandra Kaake of Windsor is shown in this undated Facebook image.
The body of 31-year-old Cassandra Kaake was discovered on Dec. 11 after a fire at 1564 Benjamin Ave.
Last week, police took the unprecedented step of asking neighbourhood residents to voluntarily provide DNA samples as part of the investigation.
As of Wednesday, more than 500 people have committed to do so — and police expect that number will grow.
Asked if any individuals have denied the request, D’Asti said there are a handful. “We are not telling people they have to do it. We are not looking at people with suspicion if they don’t do it,” he assured.
“People have the right to say no, and we will respect that.”
Officers have repeatedly canvassed the neighbourhood, with 20 detectives going door-to-door to personally ask members of the public to provide DNA.
A forensics officer at 1564 Benjamin Ave. on Dec. 14, 2014. (Dax Melmer / The Windsor Star)
D’Asti said the process of collecting the samples will take place over the next several weeks.
Each volunteer will attend a controlled environment at Windsor police headquarters, where drops of his or her blood will be obtained via finger-prick method.
Evidence that was recovered from the crime scene is currently being analyzed at the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto. If an unknown DNA profile is generated from that evidence, the samples from the public will be sent to the centre for comparison.
D’Asti said police are legally restricted to confine their use of the samples to this specific homicide investigation.
“We can assure the public: The only thing we are capable of doing with those blood droplets is package it properly and, should a DNA profile be generated, submit it (to Toronto) to do the comparison.”
Samples and related data that are found to have no bearing on the case will be destroyed, D’Asti said. “They won’t be cross-referenced or compared to any databank on outstanding crimes or anything else … We are simply not allowed to do that, by law.”
The duplex residence at 1564-1566 Benjamin Ave. on Dec. 11, 2014.
Nevertheless, this investigation strategy — which Windsor police have never tried before — has stirred controversy.
In an opinion piece published in The Star, University of Windsor law professor David Tanovich spoke against such “blooding” requests — citing such concerns as privacy, discriminatory targeting, and admissibility in court.
D’Asti said on Wednesday: “We know there’s been some discussion among legal circles regarding this being implied coercion. We just want to make it abundantly clear — this is totally voluntary. We’re not coercing anybody.
“We respect the rights of our community. This is simply us turning to the community and asking for its assistance… The murder of Cassandra Kaake was reprehensible and senseless, and we will exhaust all means to bring those responsible before the courts.”
Cassandra Kaake in an undated Facebook image.
D’Asti added that the canvas efforts aren’t just about the DNA; they’re also about creating a dialogue with the community in the hope of additional information on the case coming to light.
“If you have information, and you think it’s not really relevant — We don’t want you to assume that,” D’Asti said. “We want to hear from everybody. Whether it’s first, second, third or fourth-hand information, we want you to make that phone call.”
But with more than a month having passed since the crime took place, how likely is it that Kaake’s killer or killers will ever be found?
D’Asti said investigators with the major crime unit remain optimistic, vigilant and vigorous in their work.
“I know that the phones are ringing. It’s good. We want that,” D’Asti said.
“That’s why it’s so important to have a broad scope in this investigation.”
To talk to investigators on this case, call 519-255-6700 ext. 4830. Anonymous tips can be submitted via Crime Stoppers at 519-258-8477 or www.catchcrooks.com.
“We believe you,” said adjudicator M. Saleem Akhtar. “You were the victim of a crime by three alleged offenders, right at your own residence.”
Akhtar and fellow adjudicator Kristen Kurzuk agreed that Husnaim suffered serious physical and emotional injuries that warranted monetary recompense — despite the fact that the case didn’t result in the conviction of any of Husnaim’s attackers.
The incident took place more than two years ago. It began on the evening of Sept. 29, 2012.
Husnaim — a University of Windsor student with a clean record — received a text from a young woman he knew only through Facebook. She asked if she and her friends could hang out at his dorm. He agreed.
The girl and three other females who Husnaim didn’t know arrived with a 60-ounce bottle of Seagram’s 83 whiskey.
There was drinking. Husnaim admits he became intoxicated.
Husnaim allowed one of the girls to use his Blackberry. According to Husnaim, she did not return it.
An argument ensued over the missing cellphone, culminating in a tussle on the ground between Husnaim and at least two of the females he didn’t know.
“They were rowdy, they were aggressive, they were drunk,” Husnaim recalled. “I was surprised and confused… I drank too, but these girls drank way more than me.”
One of the girls who had ended up on the ground angrily told Husnaim she was going to get her boyfriend to beat him up. Then all the girls left in a cab.
Husnaim was not aware that the girl who had threatened him was 16 years old and pregnant by a 21-year-old male who was known to police.
Husnaim went to bed. A few hours later, he was awakened by pounding on the door of his room.
He could hear multiple male voices cursing at him and demanding that he come out.
With no cellphone to call for help, Husnaim opened the door. He was immediately dragged out and assaulted by three men.
Det. David Tennent of Windsor police told the board that during the altercation, Husnaim fell and his face caught on a door handle.
The door handle broke Husnaim’s right orbital bone, split his lower eyelid and ripped open his tear duct.
“This young man’s injuries over a cellphone were ridiculous,” Tennent said.
The next thing that Husnaim remembers was being in an ambulance. His injuries required two days in hospital, two surgical procedures, and two months of wearing an eye patch.
Three males were charged for the break-in and subsequent attack. But when the case went to trial, the judge ordered the charges withdrawn due to inconsistencies in the accounts of what happened and the lack of any third-party witnesses.
“I was very surprised the judge did not convict (the primary assailant),” Tennent told the compensation board.
Police did not pursue charges against the 16-year-old girl — who Tennent believes “set the chain of events in motion” — due to her eventual co-operation with police and her circumstances.
Tennent said the girl’s parents had no idea she was pregnant. They found out when police told them at the downtown station.
To recover from his injuries, Husnaim went back to his family’s home in Mississauga. He took online courses for the next semester, but was advised by his doctor not to look at computer screens for more than two hours at a time.
Husnaim told the board he had flashbacks and nightmares about the incident for half a year afterward. “It just wouldn’t leave my mind alone.”
Now enrolled in criminology classes again, Husnaim said he keeps his drinking in moderation and he’s “way more careful in choosing my friends.”
A total of eight people are facing drug charges after Chatham-Kent police raided a residence on Thursday.
As the result of an investigation, tactical officers executed a search warrant at a Park Street address in Chatham.
Six males and two females were in the residence at the time. All were arrested.
Seized contraband included methamphetamine, cocaine, and hydromorphone. Police estimate the cumulative street value of the drugs at around $1,000.
Also seized were digital scales, cash, and other paraphernalia.
One of the arrest subjects — a 26-year-old male of no fixed address — faces two counts of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking and one count of drug possession. He remains in custody pending a bail hearing.
A 42-year-old Chatham man also remains in custody pending a hearing. He’s been charged with two counts of drug possession and one count of failing to comply with conditions.
The remaining arrest subjects — a 48-year-old woman, a 24-year-old woman, a 45-year-old man, and three males in their 20s — have all been charged with two counts of drug possession. They’ve been released with conditions and are due back in court on Feb. 19.
A Windsor man received $7,000 in compensation Friday for ongoing suffering from a crime he says he can’t remember.
Ontario’s Criminal Injuries Compensation Board awarded Clint Russell the money, even though tribunal members decided he contributed to the factors that led to him getting stabbed in the neck. Adjudicator M. Saleem Akhtar said the severity of Russell’s injuries were disproportionate to his actions.
“Nobody deserves to be hurt like that,” he said.
Russell, who has a criminal record of his own, was stabbed by his friend on Oct. 15, 2011 after a night of drinking.
Russell also requested money for lost wages Friday, but Akhtar pointed out he’s on Ontario Works and doesn’t really have a job. Board members denied that claim.
Police charged Russell’s friend with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace. But the case didn’t go to trial.
Despite that, Russell received $7,000 Friday for pain and suffering. Akhtar and fellow adjudicator Kirsten Kurzuk decided he deserved compensation. But since he contributed to the circumstances – getting drunk while on probation and getting into an altercation — they reduced the amount.
Russell was stabbed in the right side of his neck, had to endure surgery and spent weeks recovering.
He said he suffers from depression and tends to isolate himself from friends. He added that a counsellor told him he has post traumatic stress disorder. He said he still has nightmares.
“It’s always someone chasing me trying to kill me,” he said.
He said he doesn’t remember getting stabbed and only knows what other people have told him.
“To be honest, I’m not really sure what happened that day,” said Russell. “I remember waking up in the hospital.””
He said he was later told he was hanging out with two friends in a car when a struggle broke out. Russell said he’d been drinking but he doesn’t know how much.
Windsor police Det. Scott Ritchie wondered Friday if Russell really can’t remember what happened. He said police were told the argument broke out because Russell wanted to be dropped off somewhere and the driver, later accused of stabbing him, didn’t want to take him there.
“It seems like a rather trivial matter to be stabbing someone over,” said Ritchie, who testified by speakerphone.
Ritchie said Russell appeared at Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital around 3:50 a.m. on Oct. 15, 2011. A police officer happened to be there and noted that Russell had what appeared to be stab wounds in the neck and couldn’t speak.
The officer talked to one of men with Russell. That friend said they went drinking at a downtown bar from about 12:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.
The three friends then got in a car and headed down Riverside Drive. Russell was in the backseat behind the driver. The friend was looking at his cellphone when Russell and the driver suddenly started swinging at each other.
Then Russell said “he just stabbed me, take me to the hospital.” The alleged stabber drove Russell to the hospital but fled before the officer could talk to him. Police arrested him at his house later that day. They seized his car and clothes, which were both stained with Russell’s blood.
On Nov. 11, 2011, after getting out of the hospital, Russell went to the police station and told investigators he didn’t remember what happened.
Along with his bad memory, Russell’s criminal record was also discussed Friday. When asked by board members, Russell said he thinks he has a past criminal record that includes mischief and possession of stolen property as a young offender.
Ritchie helped him remember. He told adjudicators that in 2004, Russell was convicted of theft. In 2007, he was convicted of unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon. He followed that up with a mischief conviction in 2009 and a drunk driving conviction in 2010.
At the time of the stabbing, Russell was on probation for assault causing bodily harm in Sudbury. One of his probation conditions was that he abstain from alcohol.
Neighbourhood Watch Windsor is slowly building itself back to the levels it enjoyed decades ago.
The crime watch group held an information session Thursday night at the Church of the Atonement on Forest Glade Drive.
The crime-reduction initiative has seven groups currently operating in Ward 7, and is looking to double that.
Retired firefighter and former police officer Shawn Boutette came to the meeting excited to sign up to be a block captain for his street, Holly Street.
Neighbourhood Watch was operated by the City of Windsor for many years, but seemed to fall out of favour and went dormant a decade ago.
Three years ago the Children’s Safety Village decided to revive the program, and have had some success.
Although only five residents attended Thursday’s meeting, the hope is that they will spread the word about the program.
“We’ve been trying to keep the momentum going,” said program co-ordinator Chantalle Faubert.
Ward 7 Coun. Irek Kusmierczyk said the group helps police keep track of areas where crimes are occurring.
“The more eyes and ears we have on the ground, the better,” said Kusmierczyk.
The group relies on vigilant individuals to keep an eye on their neighbour’s properties when they are at work or away.
Boutette said he himself was the victim of a break-in while he and his wife were at home because he believes in leaving his doors unlocked.
“I love this neighbourhood,” said Boutette, who said he regularly converses with his neighbours while walking his dog or shovelling snow.
Neighbourhood Watch Windsor will help block captains kick off a program in their neighbourhood after a police clearance.
They provide all sorts of resources including a visit by a crime prevention specialist.
Many at the meeting had stories of petty crime, such as cars being broken into or yard lights being stolen.
The testimony that has been heard in court so far in the sexual assault case against former Windsor Spitfire Ben Johnson is admissible, a judge says.
Justice Micheline Rawlins ruled on Tuesday that the account of a woman who was not the main complainant can be entered as “similar fact evidence” — that is, evidence of other bad acts where the probative value to the trial outweighs the potential for prejudice.
Johnson, a 20-year-old professional hockey player, is accused of forcing a woman to touch his penis in a toilet stall at a university-area bar. He faces one count of sexual assault.
The incident allegedly took place two years ago on Jan. 13, 2013 at the Krooked Kilt pub on Wyandotte Street West. The complainant was using the men’s washroom.
According to the complainant, Johnson barged into the stall and lowered his pants, then grabbed her right hand and pulled it toward his genitals.
The court has heard from other females who were at the pub on the night in question. One young woman testified that she was also confronted by Johnson in the washroom and that he asked her to give him oral sex or lift her top.
Johnson’s lawyer objected to the inclusion of the woman’s testimony.
The trial was adjourned to determine the admissibility of the testimony.
With Tuesday’s finding, the trial is set to resume in June.
Windsor police arrested two people and seized Percocets, crack and cash Wednesday after raiding a west end apartment.
The Windsor police drugs and guns unit executed a search warrant at 2:15 p.m. in the 200 block of Mill Street.
Police said they seized 91 Percocet pills, .14 grams of crack cocaine and $980 in cash.
They arrested a 44-year-old Windsor woman and charged her with possession of a controlled substance for trafficking and possession of a controlled substance.
Police also arrested a 31-year-old man on outstanding warrants shortly after leaving the apartment.
A Windsor man has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual assault after a woman was discovered dead in an apartment on Bruce Avenue.
Richard Scott Raymond, 26, appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon.
The accused was dishevelled and seemed despondent. He had blackened eyes and facial bruises. He appeared to be shirtless under a blue hooded zip-up.
Richard Scott Raymond, 26, of Windsor, in a Dec. 2012 Facebook image.
Lawyer Dan Scott said his client also suffered bodily injuries. He said the damage did not come from the arrest — his client was taken into custody at hospital, without trouble.
“He feels terrible. He’s been physically traumatized,” Scott said. “Something happened that was significant.”
Around 7 p.m. Monday, police, firefighters and paramedics responded to an emergency call about unknown trouble in a second-floor unit at 475 Bruce Ave.
They arrived to find a female victim with what police describe as “obvious trauma to her body.”
Police said the woman, 49, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Raymond was also present in the apartment. Police said he and the victim knew each other.
The victim’s name has not been disclosed.
Police said no other suspect is being sought in connection with the case — Windsor’s first homicide of the year.
A Windsor police vehicle outside 475 Bruce Ave. on Feb. 24, 2015. (Dan Janisse / The WIndsor Star)
Raymond will remain in custody. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 10.
Detectives with the major crime unit are continuing to investigate. Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call 519-255-6700 ext. 4830.
Richard Scott Raymond, 26, of Windsor, in a January 2014 Facebook image.
Anonymous tips can be submitted via Crime Stoppers at 519-258-8477 or www.catchcrooks.com.
According to a Facebook account under the name Scott Raymond, the accused is an unmarried father with ties to the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve on Manitoulin Island.
He was living and working in the community of Sutton in 2013 before returning to Windsor about a year ago.
His Facebook comments allude to past troubles with substance abuse and custody issues concerning his child.
First Place Apartments, the building at 475 Bruce Ave., has six storeys and 45 units.
A Windsor police forensics officer prepares to examine the crime scene at 475 Bruce Ave. on Feb. 24, 2015. (Dan Janisse / The Windsor Star)
Diana Khoury, who lives with her family in Unit 306 on the third floor, said her brother heard a woman screaming from the apartment below.
“He said he heard a lady screaming for 10 minutes,” Khoury said. “It sounded like someone was getting hurt. He heard a man yelling and swearing.”
Khoury said she moved into the building only a couple weeks ago, and she didn’t know the victim or the accused.
Grazyna Janik, a fifth-floor resident of 475 Bruce Ave., said she was shocked when she learned there had been fatal violence in the building.
“I couldn’t stay on my legs, really. I was terrified,” Janik said.
She also didn’t know those involved.
Ali Hakim, the property manager of 475 Bruce Ave., on Feb. 24, 2015. (Dan Janisse / The Windsor Star)
Ali Hakim, the manager of 475 Bruce Ave., said York Property Management took over the building about eight months ago, and has been co-operating with police on their investigation.
“We’re new owners. We’ve turned the building around,” Hakim said. “As a company, that’s what we stand for — we come and improve buildings.”
“It’s an unfortunate incident. We wish there was more we could do to prevent it.”
Hakim said the accused is not a resident of the building, as far as he knows.
Diana Khoury, a resident of 475 Bruce Ave., on Feb. 24, 2015. (Dan Janisse / The Windsor Star)
Khoury said she and her family were shaken by the incident. “Police officers came to our apartment. They questioned me and my brother, because my brother heard a lot of what happened.”
“We were all scared. We were just all in our apartment. Trying to keep calm, listen to the authorities. We tried to stay out of the way.”
Khoury said that when she moved in, she heard that this particular section of Bruce Avenue is “not the greatest neighbourhood.”
Windsor police attend an apartment unit at 475 Bruce Ave. on Feb. 23, 2015. A woman was pronounced dead with what police describe as “obvious trauma to her body.” (Nick Brancaccio / The Windsor Star)
Paramedics and Windsor police remove a female victim from the apartment building at 475 Bruce Ave. on the night of Feb. 23, 2015. A 26-year-old WIndsor male has been charged with murder. (Nick Brancaccio / The Windsor Star)
Investigators leave 475 Bruce Ave. where a woman was found dead on Feb. 23, 2015. (Nick Brancaccio / The Windsor Star)
First Place Apartments at 475 Bruce Ave. on the morning of Feb. 24, 2015. (Dan Janisse / The Windsor Star)
A forensics officer takes a photograph on the balcony of a unit at 475 Bruce Ave. on Feb. 24, 2015. (Dan Janisse / The Windsor Star)
A raid on an apartment in Windsor’s east end yielded an illegally-owned semi-automatic rifle with more than 400 rounds of ammo.
Members of the Windsor police drugs and guns unit (DIGS) and tactical team (ESU) executed a search warrant on Tuesday in an apartment building in the 3500 block of Seminole Street.
Police said the serial number of the firearm had been scratched off.
Also seized were 408 rounds of ammunition.
Elsewhere in the apartment, officers found an expandable baton and 11.4 grams of marijuana.
Two male occupants of the apartment were arrested without trouble.
Charged are Randy Rubik, 22, and James St. Jean, 19 — both Windsor residents.
Rubik and St. Jean face one count each of possession of a firearm without a licence, improper storage of a firearm, possession of a firearm with an altered serial number, and possession of marijuana.
A 47-year-old Windsor man is facing firearms charges after police found a sawed-off shotgun at his residence.
Members of the drugs and guns unit and the tactical team executed a search warrant in the 700 block of Brant Street on Wednesday.
The raid yielded an unloaded Harrington & Richardson Model 400 pump-action shotgun with a shortened barrel.
The resident was arrested and charged with possession of a prohibited firearm, improper storage of a prohibited firearm, and possession of a firearm while prohibited from doing so.
Harrington & Richardson manufactured the 400-series of five-shot pump-action shotguns in the 1960s. They typically have barrels 28 inches (711 millimetres) in length.
Under the Criminal Code of Canada, a shotgun or rifle becomes a prohibited weapon if it is altered — whether by sawing, cutting or any other method — so that its overall length is less than 26 inches (660 mm), or its barrel length is less than 18 inches (457 mm).
Re: City council decisions: Once is enough, Star editorial, Feb. 20.
In regard to the editorial, I take offence. What was The Star’s complaint, anyway? That our newly elected councillors are standing up for our neighbourhoods?
I applaud them both for speaking on behalf of their constituents. For years, we have watched the modern trend of families leave the core to move to the suburbs. Our inner city, with all its unique features, has suffered because of this and it appears it happened without much fight from city council.
Our new aquatic centre is a wonderful addition to our city centre but it came at the expense of smaller neighbourhood centres.
The city does a neighbourhood a disservice when it condones the closing of community centres within a dying core to build better ones in its suburbs.
It not only adds to the stigma of the core as a poverty-stricken, crime-ridden place to live (as we all know, it is the opposite) it hastens the desertion of the area.
The city should be realizing wards 2 and 3 for the jewels they are and investing in them. This is my area and it is beautiful with its walkable streets and mature trees.
I’m glad my councillor is working to get it back to what it should be. We have been quiet for far too long.
Investigators have determined a fire that destroyed two houses this week was the work of an arsonist.
Windsor Fire and Rescue battle two house fires on the 800 block of Assumption Street, Monday morning, March 2, 2015. The two house are adjacent to each other. There were no injuries reported. (DAX MELMER/The Windsor Star)
Windsor Fire and Rescue Services received a call around 4:30 a.m. Monday about a blaze in a duplex at 833/835 Assumption St. Crews arrived to find the home “fully involved” with flames, which also spread to 839 Assumption. The 911 call came from someone in the house at 839 Assumption. No one was hurt.
The fire spread quickly to the other building partly because the structures were so close together that the roofs were touching.
It took firefighters more than seven hours to fully extinguish the flames and hotspots.
Two drug busts on Wednesday in Windsor and LaSalle netted police seven arrests along with the seizure of cash, cocaine and other drugs.
The first bust happened around 5:45 p.m. Windsor and LaSalle police executed a search warrant at an apartment in the 1900 block of Normandy Street in LaSalle.
Officers arrested five LaSalle men. Three of the suspects were 19 years old. Two of them were 18 years old.
Police also seized 171.99 grams of marijuana, 6.57 grams of cocaine, 1.36 grams of cannabis resin and 10 ecstasy pills. Police said the drugs were worth a total of $2,544.90.
The five men are each charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, possession of ecstasy for the purpose of trafficking and possession of cannabis resin.
They were all released on a promise to appear in court.
Windsor police made their second drug bust of the day around 11 p.m. As part of an ongoing investigation, police stopped a car near McDougall Avenue and Tecumseh Road West.
Officers arrested two men, aged 34 and 32. Police said one of the men had 34.4 grams of cocaine on him. The drugs are worth $3,440, according to investigators. Police said the second man had $3,390 in Canadian cash on him.
Both men are charged with possession of cocaine for trafficking. They were also released on a promise to appear in court.
Police didn’t release the names of any the people charged.
Windsor police are warning the community of an email scam in which the fraudsters are posing as the Canada Revenue Agency.
According to the Windsor Police Service‘s financial crimes unit, there have been numerous local complaints of people receiving suspicious but official-looking emails.
These messages claim to represent the CRA and appear to bear the agency’s letterhead.
They tell the recipient that he or she is owed a refund, and must click a link to “re-verify your information.”
The link leads to a fraudster website that asks the victim to input personal and financial data — such as social insurance, credit card, bank account and passport numbers.
The website has nothing to do with the real CRA. The victim’s information will be used for fraud purposes.
Windsor police said the fraudsters have also been known to call victims directly, asking for the data over the phone. The criminals are able to mask their phone numbers so that they will appear to be an official institution on caller ID.
Police said the real CRA only corresponds with the public via regular mail. The CRA also only transfers funds via direct deposit or cheque — never by email money transfer. The CRA does not request personal information of any kind from taxpayers by email.
Anyone who has received suspicious messages or calls like the one described is asked to call 1-800-267-6999 to report them to the CRA.
For more information, visit the CRA’s warning page here.
A 19-year-old Windsor man with a stab wound to the leg entered the emergency room on Tecumseh Road East Friday night.
Staff from Windsor Regional Hospital Metropolitan Campus alerted police shortly after 11 p.m.
Windsor Police Service Staff Sgt. Dave Kigar said the man’s wounds were non-life-threatening and that the man was uncooperative.
“(Officers) went down to check on him but he would have nothing to do with us,” Kigar said.
From what little information officers could get from hospital staff, police believe the stabbing happened in a house, possibly between friends. The victim did not want to complain or cooperate any further, Kigar said.
Police are on the hunt for two male suspects after two people were shot Saturday night near a 7-Eleven on Wyandotte Street East.
Windsor police Staff Sgt. Dave Kigar said two victims suffered gunshot wounds. He said one person had a minor injury and the other was more severe.
One victim remained in hospital Sunday night.
Shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday, police were called to the intersection of Wyandotte Street East and Langlois Avenue. Emergency crews rushed the victims to hospital and police sealed off the crime scene.
“We’re working right now to determine if they were in a vehicle and what kind of vehicle … or if they left on foot. We’re not sure right now,” Kigar said.
Police tape stretched from the 7-Eleven at 971 Wyandotte St. E. to a city-owned parking lot on the other side of Langlois Avenue. Officers flooded the area searching for clues.
A Windsor Police officer takes notes at a crime scene near the corner of Wyandotte Street East and Langlois Avenue on March 7, 2015. (RICK DAWES/The Windsor Star)
Inside Municipal Parking Lot No. 6 detectives photographed an orange e-bike that was tipped over on its side.
Investigators could be seen talking with two female employees inside the 7-Eleven.
Later, one of the women exited the building for a cigarette. She said the incident was not a robbery and that it did not involve the store.
“We’re working with the victims and a whole bunch of witnesses to try and come up with some more suspect information but we’ve got nobody in custody right now,” Kigar said.
The major crimes unit was called in and detectives continued to investigate Sunday night.
Area resident Rob Preteroti, 32, said he first learned of the shooting on Facebook overnight.
“It’s ridiculous but I think this is what happens when you start spiralling into a (expletive) economy,” said Preteroti, who was walking by the shooting scene Sunday evening. “People are just cutthroat.”
Preteroti said his girlfriend used to work at that 7-Eleven.
“There was all kinds of trouble here all the time,” said Preteroti. “It’s sad. It’s not a very safe place to work, as far as I’m concerned.”
Preteroti said he’s concerned about the level of violence in the city.
“Clearly there’s lots of violence going on around town,” said Preteroti. “It’s not very good.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 519-255-6700 ext. 4830.
A Windsor police officer previously accused by U.S. authorities of drug smuggling is facing a new drug trafficking charge — this time on the Canadian side of the border.
Const. David Bshouty, 32, was arrested by the Windsor Police Service on Monday on a charge of trafficking a controlled substance.
The arrest is the latest result of an ongoing internal investigation by WPS into Bshouty.
At the time of the arrest on Monday, Bshouty was already on paid suspension stemming from a previous charge of possession of a controlled substance.
Police haven’t named the substance that Bshouty is now accused of trafficking.
Const. David Bshouty (R) and his attorney Josh Nucian (L) in a Detroit courthouse in June 2014. (Craig Pearson / The Windsor Star)
On April 12, 2014, Bshouty was arrested by U.S. Homeland Security for allegedly carrying crack cocaine as he attempted to cross the Ambassador Bridge and enter Detroit.
U.S. authorities were acting on information provided by Windsor police.
However, the stop at the border only turned up three grams of “questionable material” in Bshouty’s vehicle.
Chief Al Frederick has said that the fact that U.S. authorities dropped charges against Bshouty doesn’t affect the charges he faces in Canada.
Along with the criminal drug charges, Police Act charges against Bshouty are pending.
Const. David Bshouty of Windsor police in a Detroit courthouse in April 2014. (Dan Janisse / The Windsor Star)
The investigation continues. Police are seeking tips from the public about Bshouty. Anyone with more information is asked to contact the Windsor police risk management department at 226-674-1360.
Bshouty joined WPS in 2009. He has served since then as a patrol officer.
The investigation into him began in February 2014 following an anonymous tip.
Last year, Jason DeJong, president of the Windsor Police Association, argued that Bshouty should have been allowed to return to work after U.S. authorities dropped charges.
“This has been very damaging to his reputation and it’s extremely regrettable that he’s had to endure this,” DeJong said at the time.
