A Greater Sudbury man is facing a host of charges after being accused of harassing and assaulting of members of city staff.
James Waddell is in custody after being charged several times for breaching bail conditions. He appeared in Sudbury court by video remand Thursday.
Charges he faces includes assaulting a peace officer, failure to appear in court, and multiple counts of assault, criminal harassment and breaching bail conditions.
In a statement Thursday, city spokesperson Kelli Sheppard said the city couldn't comment on ongoing court proceedings.
“Unfortunately we will not be able to provide any information because the matter is before the court,” Sheppard wrote in an email. “Thank you for your understanding.”
While it's not yet known what the source of the conflict is, an email sent to city staff Feb. 24 and obtained by Sudbury.com reveals a high level of concern by city security.
“In the interest of health and safety for all City of Greater Sudbury employees and on behalf of all members of the Threat Assessment Team, I would like to take this opportunity to update all staff on further incidents of violence and harassment specific to Mr. James Waddell and his interactions with City of Greater Sudbury staff,” the email reads, adding that since November 2016, “there has been an escalation of threatening and harassing behaviour towards city staff as directed from Mr. Waddell.”
The email says Waddell was criminally charged in January after an encounter with employees in the city's solid waste department. He had been banned from all city property as part of his release on bail.
“Further display of aggressive behaviour was noted yesterday, Feb. 23, 2017, as directed towards a bylaw officer that was driving down a laneway adjacent to his dwelling,” the email said. “As a result, Waddell was arrested today by Greater Sudbury Police Services and charged with assault with a weapon, threatening and breach of recognizance. This matter will be heard in court.”
Now that problems have begun to occur off city property, the email provided a list of properties Waddell owns, and directed workers that had to go near those areas for work not travel alone.
“For each property where there is an absolute requirement to physically attend, I would strongly suggest no less than two employees be dispatched to complete the work,” the email said. “With consideration for the nature of work that is required, there may also be a need to secure the assistance of Greater Sudbury Police to keep the peace.
“All interactions should be documented and any display of aggressive or threatening behaviour should result in staff immediately disengaging to a safe distance and calling police.”
