Toronto Police Confirm a 41-year-old from Toronto acquaintances leslieville area for last night prowling incidents, in connection with several crimes in the neighborhood have been re-accused.
Court documents obtained by Global News indicate Gerard Silas Purcell He was charged with mischief of less than $5,000 and three counts of failure to comply with probation on July 16. He was released on 18 July.
In January, Purcell was arrested and charged with criminal acts committed between January 23 and January 26, including breaking and entering, assault, theft of less than $5,000, property worth less than $5,000. There are four cases of loss/damage and breach of his probation.
Jessica Farber of Toronto recalls meeting Purcell on January 25 on his way home from work in Riverdale.
“I was looking at my phone while walking down the street and I came across someone who grabbed my phone by my hand… He slammed it on the ground and ran away,” she said.
Upon arriving home, Farber said she and her husband wondered whether the suspect may have been a so-called “neighborhood victim.”
“It was complete and I ended up claiming the police and pressure charges, which I think took him off the streets for a short period of time and then unfortunately he came back several times since that incident. is,” she said.
Farber said it wasn’t the only incident at the time.
Purcell has also been charged with incidents that occurred between May and October 2021.
“I don’t know what the system can do to protect our neighbors and get the help they need,” Farber said.
At the time, police alleged that the man was seen allegedly targeting multiple homes in the Leslie Street and Dundas Street area, trying to gain access overnight and early in the morning.
“If he’s knocking and harassing and he’s going to be sent to jail or the police and they’re releasing him and he’s coming back then all they need to say is ‘Enough is enough,'” A longtime Leslieville resident, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Global News.
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Another resident who shared a surveillance video of a man who fit Purcell’s description described a time when a suspect attempted to enter his home overnight.
“The alarm goes off at 1:45, dogs start barking, the person in the video was trying to open the back door to escape the fire. Once he heard the alarm and the dog, he ran down the stairs to Hastings Avenue. He tried to open the door that sounded the alarm,” said the resident, who asked not to be named for security reasons.
Toronto Police Const. Caroline de Cloet told Global News that Purcell was released by the courts on July 18 and “is not currently wanted by police.”
“If community members see something suspicious, they are encouraged to call 416-808-2222 (non-emergency) or 9-1-1 to see if an emergency or crime is in progress,” she said.
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