A 43-year-old London man is facing charges after police allege he harassed a city councillor by phone over a period of several months this year.
Details are limited, but police said the incidents began in May when a member of city council began to receive multiple harassing phone calls from someone they didn’t know, police said.
While police did not name the councillor, Ward 13 Councillor Arielle Kayabaga tweeted in September that she had been receiving daily phone calls from a man since May to “talk about how sorry he feels for black women because I am a single moms (sic), black on black crimes to this day.”
“Tonight he told (me) he will show up at my house and I told him I’ll be waiting. I just wanted to say, you’ll never make me quit!” she wrote in the Sept. 17 tweet.
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In a statement to 980 CFPL, Kayabaga said she appreciates the efforts of London police in the matter, adding it has been a difficult time for her and her family.
“To protect the integrity of the legal process related to this, I won’t be providing any additional details or providing any additional comments,” she said.
“I understand the interest and am grateful for the care and concern that has been expressed, however I would ask that my privacy is respected at this time.”
A man has been calling me daily since May to talk about how sorry he feels for black women because I am a single moms, black on black crimes to this day. Tonight he told he will show up at my house and I told him I’ll be waiting. I just wanted to say, you’ll never make me quit!
— Arielle Kayabaga (@ArielkeK) September 18, 2020
Investigators said they were notified of the harassing phone calls in September and launched an investigation.
On Thursday, a suspect was arrested in the case and charged with criminal harassment by repeated communication, and harassing telecommunication.
Joshua Moreed Girges, 43, of London is slated to appear in court for the charges on Jan. 26.
Few other details have been released.
Anyone with information is asked to contact London police at 519-661-5670, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).