Most-read stories of the week: tornado in Ayr, Kitchener killer gets statutory release, man wanted for attempted abduction arrested

Trees down, damage reported after possible tornado near Ayr, Ont.

A tornado was spotted in Ayr, Ontario in the Greenfield Road and Northumberland Street area around 10:50 a.m. Saturday.

A team from Western University’s Northern Tornadoes Project travelled to Ayr and confirmed a tornado touched down. It has been classified as a high level EF1.

David Sills, Executive Director of the Northern Tornadoes Project said, “In this case, there was so much video evidence. You can see the clear funnel cloud with debris rotating around it.”

Several trees snapped in half and drivers were forced to carefully navigate the debris strewn roads.

Greenfield Road was impassable as a large tree lay across the road and hydro lines drooped toward the ground.

No injuries were reported following the storm.

'High-risk' Kitchener killer gets statutory release

A Kitchener man, who admitted to choking his roommate to death, is getting a second chance at statutory release.

Kevin Koehler, 59, will soon be transferred to what’s often referred to as a halfway house, where he’ll have to follow strict conditions.

The Parole Board of Canada, however, isn’t optimistic about his chances in the community. They say Koehler has a history of violent criminal behaviour and consider him “high risk.”

Koehler was first granted a statutory release in 2022.

He breached the conditions a few months later after he failed to report a relationship with a woman.

Now Koehler’s getting a second chance, but officials aren’t convinced he won’t end up back behind bars.

A report by the Parole Board of Canada stated: “Given the nature of your offences, your poor supervision history, the lack of any supports in the community, and concern to protect public safety, the board does not believe that your risk can be managed on leave privileges.”

Koehler’s conditions include not consuming drugs or alcohol, a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., following a treatment plan, and reporting all sexual and non-sexual relationships.

The parole board called Koehler a high-risk/high-needs offender with low integration potential, adding that his supervision history is poor and includes numerous breaches of trust.

Cat thought to have been tied up, shot with paintball gun in North Dumfries, Ont.

A cat rescue in Kitchener, Ont., believes an animal in its care was tied up and used as a paintball target.

The little white cat may be getting showered with love and treats now, but that was far from the case just over a week ago.

“[I] saw the email come through about a cat that was found on the road,” said Tammy Tanner, founder of Kitchener Stray Cat Rescue. “The individual said that he saw her and he kept looking back and she was running after him in the car.”

The cat was found near Alps Road in North Dumfries, Ont. It was then brought to a veterinarian because it appeared to have significant injuries.

“It was discovered that she was tied up around the neck by a rope, hit by paintballs. Obviously there’s pink and blue all over her body and she had some infection in her ears,” Tanner explained.

The cat was brought to the shelter after seeing the vet, who confirmed the injuries and what may have caused them.

With no chip or any leads about where she came from, she was given a new name – Shera.

“I grew up watching He-Man and She-Ra,” explained Tanner. “Shera was like the warrior, she escaped her captors and ran to the road, looked for safety and chased down a car. Pretty cool.”

Now the focus is on finding who did this to Shera.

The cat rescue has offered up a $1,000 reward for information that could lead to an arrest.

The red on Shera's neck shows where she was tied up. (Spencer Turcotte/CTV News)

David Sherk, the man wanted for Wellesly woman’s attempted abduction, arrested

An arrest has been made in the random attack and attempted abduction of a Wellesley, Ont. woman.

On Wednesday morning, the Waterloo Regional Police Service identified the suspect as David Sherk. The 50-year-old was in custody less than 10 hours later.

Police said someone spotted Sherk in Thorold, Ont. around 6:30 p.m. at a residential property on Commerford Street.

“Niagara Regional Police attended the area, located Mr. Sherk after a brief foot pursuit and he was arrested on the strength of our warrant,” said Insp. Kyle Lambert with WRPS. “Through the investigation we’ll have a better idea if he was hiding, or if he was going to flee further. We don’t know at this time.”

CTV News spoke to someone who witnessed Sherk's arrest and have decided not to identify them for their safety. They said Sherk had been inside the home for several hours before officers with Niagara Regional Police arrived to make the arrest. The witness also stated that Sherk knew the person who lived at the home.

When asked by CTV News why it so long for Niagara Regional Police to respond to the Commerford residence to arrest Sherk, the service said in an email: “Call volume and several priority calls delayed our response. Officers were sent as soon as they were available resulting in a successful arrest and transfer of custody to WRPS without incident.”

Police are trying to determine how Sherk got to Thorold and the motive for the attack in Wellesley. Those details, they explained, will likely come out through the court process.

Sherk has been charged with attempted kidnapping and assault with a weapon.

A photo of David Sherk provided by Waterloo Regional Police Service. (Courtesy: Waterloo Regional Police Service)

Pipe supplying 20 per cent of the region’s drinking water to be shut off for repairs

Residents in Waterloo Region are being asked to conserve water for approximately one week while an important water pipe is repaired.

The region said it supplies drinking water to approximately 20 per cent of the community.

The pipe will need to be shut off between Aug. 19 and Aug. 25 while the work is completed.

“Rather than to wait and put the community at risk, we're choosing to do the repair now,” said Mari MacNeil, the director of water and wastewater services for the Region of Waterloo.

People living or working in Kitchener, Waterloo, northwest Cambridge, St. Jacobs, Elmira, Breslau, Mannheim, Shingletown, West Montrose, Conestogo and St. Agatha will be impacted. Residents are being asked to reduce all water use as much as possible while the work is ongoing.

 

“This is critical infrastructure, a large water pipe reaching four feet in diameter in some sections, that delivers drinking water to our community and supplies water for emergency services,” MacNeil said in a news release. “We hope to make repairs quickly without significant impacts to the community.”

Residents are asked to:

• Not water lawns (new sod permits issued by Aug. 16 are exempt)

• Not plant grass seed or lay new sod

• Not wash vehicles

• Not refill pools, hot tubs, garden ponds or fountains

• Not clean or pressure wash exteriors

• Use water cans to water gardens

• Reduce showering time to five minutes or less

• Reduce water use when brushing teeth

• Reduce water use when doing dishes or laundry

• Check for leaks in faucets, showers and toilets

Water is seen flowing from a tap in this stock image. (Skitterphoto/Pexels.com)