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Tedman Avenue explosives: Neighbour describes suspect as 'a very nice man'

'I couldn't see him doing anything dangerous,' neighbour says

A resident who was evacuated from a home next door to the property where explosive devices were found on Saturday morning described the ordeal as both "scary" and "confusing."

"It was pretty scary at first because we didn't really know what was happening," Sally Norquay told Sudbury.com. "We didn't know the scale of it. They (the police) just said, 'We don't know, so we have to evacuate.' I'm glad everything is okay."

Since October 2017, Norquay, a student, has lived in a home on Tedman Avenue adjacent to the property where four explosive devices were located and safely disposed of (by which we mean, detonated) by Greater Sudbury Police Services some time after 2 a.m. Saturday. She said she was made aware of the situation as it unfolded on Friday afternoon.

"My roommate and I were going to class and the police officers, the tactical officers kind of just told us 'Ok, We're evacuating, there's some dangerous devices in the area. We won't be able to come back'," Norquay said.

At approximately 4 p.m. the Canadian Red Cross called to ask if help would be needed in order to access alternative accommodations while the evacuation took place. Residents were able to return to their homes by late Saturday morning.

A 34-year-old male was arrested and now faces multiple charges in relation to incident. 

The charges include: Possession of Prohibited Device, Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose (two counts), Explosives – Making or Possessing for an Unlawful Purpose, Knowledge of Unauthorized Possession of a Weapon/Device, Using Explosives, Possession of Incendiary Material, Drive Under Suspension (two counts).

Unaware of the full scope of the charges against her neighbour until informed by Sudbury.com, Norquay said she was surprised by the "hefty" offences of which the 34-year-old is accused. Her surprise is due, in part, to the charges themselves, but also due to her previous interactions with him.

She said the man living in the house where the devices were found — who she said was a roofer — has helped her fix her car and had even offered to help repair a roof at her camp this coming weekend.

The man, she said, was "extremely friendly, just honestly, just a friendly, nice person. He's helpful, he offers to help people all the time."

Norquay said she would often see children, whom she described as the man's daughters, sitting on the porch. They would wave in a friendly manner when they saw her, she said.

"I couldn't see him doing anything dangerous," Norquay said. "He's a very nice man."
 
At this time, Greater Sudbury Police Services has not released the name of the man charged in relation to the incident. In an email, GSPS said that the devices were homemade in nature and had the potential to cause serious injury or death if initiated in close proximity to people. 

Homemade explosive devices are very unstable and unpredictable due to the unknown manufacturing process and materials, the email read.

Check back to Sudbury.com for more updates as they become available and read the related story, here: 

Updated: Explosive devices found on Tedman Avenue after 2 a.m. Saturday, multiple charges have been laid


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Allana McDougall

About the Author: Allana McDougall

Allana McDougall is a new media reporter at Northern Life.
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