Kawartha Lakes police are defending the decision to charge a homeowner with assault after an altercation with a man who had allegedly broken into his home in Lindsay.
Investigators say they responded to an apartment on Kent Street at around 3:20 a.m. on August 18 for reports of an altercation.
The resident of the apartment had woken up to find another man inside his home. There was allegedly an altercation, and the intruder suffered serious, life-threatening injuries. He was then airlifted to a Toronto hospital.
The homeowner, a 44-year-old man from Lindsay, has been charged with aggravated assault and assault.
The alleged intruder, a 41-year-old Lindsay man, was already wanted by police at the time of the incident and is facing additional charges of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, break, enter and theft, mischief under $5,000 and failure to comply with probation.
Police issued a statement on Wednesday in response to the “significant public interest and emotional responses” the incident had generated, with Kawartha Lakes Police Chief Kirk Robertson defending his officers and their actions against the negative commentary.
Robertson noted that investigators examined all the information and evidence available before laying charges, and that only a limited amount of information is being released to the public.
“Under Canadian law, individuals have the right to defend themselves and their property … However, it is important to understand that these rights are not unlimited in Canada. The law requires that any defensive action be proportionate to the threat faced,” read Robertson’s statement. “This means that while homeowners do have the right to protect themselves and their property, the use of force must be reasonable given the circumstances.”
