The North Bay Police Service has charged a 38-year-old man in connection with a domestic assault.
Police responded to a call to a home in Callander on July 12, following reports of an altercation between a couple who were living together. Police say that the verbal argument became physical and that the man restrained the female victim, held a lighter in front of her and threatened to burn her.
When police arrived, the man had left the premises. When police found him walking in downtown North Bay, the accused became hostile, spitting at the arresting officers saying that he was positive for COVID-19.
Community Safety Coordinator for the North Bay Police Service, John Schultz, says that the officers were tested for COVID-19 which came back negative.
Schultz adds that people spitting towards officers is not a new occurrence.
“It’s an unusual thing but it’s not an uncommon thing to happen when people are arrested,” Schultz said. He adds that spitting at an officer is technically assault.
Schultz also said that no spit landed on the arresting officers. As such, the accused has been charged with:
· Three Counts of Assault with a Weapon
· One count of Uttering a Threat
The accused remains in custody pending a bail hearing at the North Bay Courthouse.
