Ontario woman charged with assault with a weapon after neighbour sprayed with water gun
A Simcoe, Ont. woman has been charged with assault with a weapon after spraying her neighbour with a water gun.
“I’ve cried myself to sleep many nights,” Wendy Washik told CTV News.
The 58-year-old educational assistant said she was playing with some kids at a backyard barbecue on Sept. 1.
“Because I love kids and work with kids, I asked [one] if he had any water guns and he said: ‘Yeah.’”
Washik then chased the child from the back of the house to the front of the home, and accidentally sprayed a neighbour.
“I was trying to figure out how the water gun was working. It’s not like I play with water guns at my age,” she explained on Tuesday. “I was going through the gate and it accidentally hit the neighbour that was maybe three feet away, [who was] cutting his grass.”
Washik said she tried to apologize.
According to Ontario Provincial Police, a Norfolk County officer was called to Woodway Trail after a neighbour dispute resulted “in the victim being physically assaulted.”
Washik said the officer wouldn’t even hear her out.
“They told my husband to ‘bring your wife out of the backyard,’ and that I’m being charged with assault with a weapon,” she recalled. “They didn’t ask me one single question.”
Washik was then taken into custody.
Because of this incident, the educational assistant has been put on leave by her school board.
“It just blows my mind that this has happened to me,” Washik said. “The mental and financial stress that has put on my family, my children and my husband, is not right and is not fair.”
Neighbours told CTV News they have history with the man who phoned police that day.
“He’s had numerous issues on the street, [with] lots of neighbours,” explained Kirk Stewart. “Police called on them and they’re constantly here.”
“It’s been a recurring issue on the street, police being at his house for very, very minor issues,” added Michael MacConnachie.
Another neighbour said she and her son always try to avoid the man’s home.
“[Liam’s] friends are allowed to the come to our house, but we no longer allow them to come to this house,” Bobbi explained.
Neighbours who spoke to CTV News feel the police have been weaponized against them.
“I don’t think it should be that way,” said Bobbi. “I think our system is really messed up.”
“We all get along fine, we’re not calling the police on our other neighbours,” MacConnachie said. “It’s always the one individual who’s calling the police.”
Norfolk County OPP wouldn’t comment on the specifics of this incident.
They said in an email to CTV News: “Regarding the charge that was laid, details about the weapon involved are considered part of the investigation and are not generally shared with the public.”
OPP also addressed the concerns of neighbours.
“We want to assure the community that every case is thoroughly investigated to ensure it is handled appropriately and brought to resolution,” the statement continued. “We are committed to maintaining high standards in our investigative work, regardless of how the public may perceive the allocation of resources. Our focus remains on doing our job effectively, ensuring that each case receives the attention it deserves, regardless of public perception.”
CTV News tried to speak to the man who called OPP but he did not appear to be at home.
Washik said she now has a lawyer and her daughter has started a GoFundMe to help cover the family’s legal expenses. But they hope the situation is resolved long before it ends up in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7040819.1726571575!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Canada's inflation cools to 2% in August, the smallest gain since early 2021
Canada's annual inflation rate reached the central bank's target in August at it cooled to 2 per cent, its lowest level since February 2021, data showed on Tuesday.
Dozens wounded after pagers detonate in Lebanon, media and security officials say
Dozens of people were wounded in Beirut's suburbs and other parts of Lebanon after their handheld pagers exploded Tuesday, Lebanese state media and security officials said. It wasn't immediately clear if people were killed.
These people say they got listeria after drinking recalled plant-based milks
The Canadian Press spoke to 10 people, from the parents of a toddler to an 89-year-old senior, who say they became sick with listeria after drinking from cartons of plant-based milk stamped with the recalled product code. Here's a look at some of their experiences.
BREAKING Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been indicted on sex trafficking and racketeering charges
Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday.
Ontario man who almost fell for text scam issues warning to others
An Ontario man thought he got some good news when he received a text message offering a $30 gift for being a loyal Giant Tiger customer. 'I do go to that store so I clicked on the link and it said it was a customer appreciation award they were going to give people,' Mark Martin, of Simcoe, Ont., told CTV News Toronto.
Byelection results: Justin Trudeau handed his second byelection upset in recent months
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been handed his second byelection upset in recent months, as the Bloc Quebecois won LaSalle-Emard-Verdun, Que., a longtime Liberal seat in Montreal.
A key employee who called the Titan unsafe testifies the company only wanted to make money
A key employee who labelled a doomed experimental submersible unsafe prior to its last, fatal voyage testified Tuesday that he frequently clashed with the company's co-founder and felt the company was committed only to making money.
MK-ULTRA: Ottawa, McGill seek to dismiss Montreal brainwashing experiment lawsuit
Family members of patients allegedly brainwashed decades ago at a Montreal psychiatric hospital are afraid they're running out of time to get compensation because the federal government and McGill University have filed motions to dismiss their lawsuit.
GoFundMe cancels fundraiser for Ontario woman charged with spraying neighbour with a water gun
A Simcoe, Ont., woman charged with assault with a weapon after accidentally spraying her neighbour with a water gun says GoFundMe has now pulled the plug on her online fundraiser.