Windsor police have re-arrested a 27-year-old man for breaching probation in connection with an intimate partner violence (IPV) case.
The man had been convicted of assaulting a woman earlier this month. Investigators say that on Monday, he was released from the Southwest Detention Centre.
A condition of the release was that the man was not allowed within 100 metres of the victim's residence, place of business, or place of education.
Windsor Police Staff Sergeant Rich Sieberer told reporters on Wednesday at police headquarters that the Special Victims Unit learned that the man would return to the victim's home.
"Step one was to ensure the safety of the victim by removing her from her residence," said Sieberer. "At that point, we worked with the P.O.P. [Problem-Oriented Policing] Unit. They set up surveillance on the residence, and the male went immediately right from the Southwest Detention Centre to the home."
Police quickly moved in and took him back into custody.
He has been charged with breaching a probation order. His name is not being released.
Sieberer said that he was fully aware that questions would be raised about how this particular case was handled, but described it as "unique”.
"We had information that there was a good possibility that he might go to the victim's house," said Sieberer. "But we did last year about 450 breaches of probation. That's just in the IPV world. But it does happen, and it happens too much."
Sieberer added that with each IPV case, detectives fight to ensure any probation cases include the strictest surveillance and tracking, but it is ultimately up to the court system.
Investigators wanted to share details of this case to encourage anyone who may be in a violent relationship to come forward and to remind people in that situation that help is available.
Windsor police say the following community resources are ready to help anyone who is a victim of IPV.
The Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Centre - https://www.wrh.on.ca/SADVTC
Hiatus House - https://hiatushouse.com/
Victim Services of Windsor & Essex County - https://vswec.ca/
