Man throws rocks at Oakville nurse's home and cars, causing $30,000 in damages

An Oakville nurse is demanding compensation and some accountability after her property was damaged, allegedly by a resident from a nearby group home.

Kim Furtado, who lives in the Bridge Road and Third Line area, said she was at a work function on Saturday, July 16 when a man came onto her property and smashed her kitchen window with a rock.

My mother was dog sitting for me. She had taken the dog out for a walk and when she came back, she saw this gentleman coming out of my backyard, which she thought was strange," said Furtado.

He proceeded to just pick up a rock and smash it through a front window of my home."

Furtado said her mother yelled at the man to stop, but it's alleged the individual just grabbed more decorative rocks from the garden and used them to smash the windshield and windows of Furtado's car and then her mother's car, which were both parked in the driveway.

The vehicles were also struck and dented.

Despite being terrified by what she was seeing Furtado said her mother was able to run into the house and call 911.

By this time the man had stopped what he was doing and was sitting on Furtado's driveway.

Halton police arrived on the scene and made an arrest.

A 23-year-old Oakville man has been charged with three counts of mischief under $5,000.

When Furtado returned to her home, she realized the damage was significant.

In addition to smashing a front window, Furtado alleges the man had also smashed a rear window while he was in the backyard.

The person who came in to look at the windows and the home damage seemed to think it would be somewhere between $5,000 to $7,000 depending on whether they have to replace the heated floor in my laundry room," said Furtado.

She said when a brick came through her laundry room window it damaged a tile on the laundry room floor.

If the entire heated floor has to be replaced Furtado said that will take the home damage bill alone to around $15,000.

Damage to her mother's vehicle has been estimated at $7,000 to $10,000 while damage to Furtado's vehicle is estimated at $6,000 to $7,000.

The Oakville nurse said that following the incident she was told by police that the suspect was a resident of a neighbouring group home.

Furtado says she was unaware of a group home operating in the area.

When Furtado contacted the group home, she said she was told by the person who picked up the phone that Furtado's contact information would be passed on to the manager.

When reached for comment Chantelle Perera, legal counsel for Safe Management Group Inc., the organization that runs the group home, said she had been advised by her client that they have received written correspondence from Furtado's insurers and the matter will be addressed by the insurance companies for both parties.

While Furtado says she shouldn't be left out of pocket as a result of this incident she also wants some kind of assurance that this will not happen again.

I am afraid to sit in my own yard and unfortunately my mother refuses to come to my home," said Furtado.

Furtado said the man hopped the group home fence into her yard and so she wants the group home to construct a higher more secure fence.

She also said the selection process for who gets to be in an unsecured group home needs to be reviewed and staff need better training to deal with serious incidents when they happen.

I am not against group homes. My husband's brother is special needs and he lives in a group home in Oakville...I am okay with people who need some support living in the community," said Furtado.

That said people need to be safe in their community. Clearly there is a problem with the fact that an individual who was this unstable and this violent was living in the community in a place that was not policed and not contained."

Perera said her client cannot comment on the specifics of this matter as there is an ongoing investigation into the allegations, and this matter is proceeding before the courts.

As group home administration falls under the jurisdiction of the Province Furtado has reached out to Oakville MPP Stephen Crawford whose office confirmed they are looking into this incident.

Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services would not comment on this specific case citing the need to protect the privacy of individuals involved.

Ministry spokesperson Kristen Tedesco said the ministry does not have oversight of Safe Management Group residential sites noting ministry-funded agencies are responsible for the oversight of any private operators they might employ.

She also said that for individuals with challenging behaviours agencies must develop a behaviour support plan which would speak to various measures used if there is an immediate risk of individuals harming themselves or causing property damage.