A 24-year-old man is facing charges after Halifax police said he entered two apartment units by lying to the female tenants about being an building management employee.
In one of the cases, the tenant was assaulted, according to Halifax Regional Police.
Officers were first called to the building — in the 200-bock of the Bedford Highway — at around 4:40 p.m. on Saturday, they said in a release issued on Monday afternoon.
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Police said the suspect “pretended to be a representative of the building’s management” and said he was there to do an inspection of the apartment. While the tenant initially let the person in the unit, she became suspicious about his behaviour and tried to call someone to verify his identity.
At that point, the man left.
She called police and while on scene, a second call came in to police about a similar incident in the building. In that case, the man allegedly assaulted the tenant when she asked him to leave.
A suspect was arrested in the area not long after.
According to Halifax police, Samuel Boimah McGill, 24, was scheduled to appear in court on Monday to face two counts of being unlawfully in a dwelling-house and one count of assault.
Halifax Regional Police spokesperson Const. John MacLeod said both women “followed their instinct,” became uncomfortable with the man’s behaviour and called police.
“It’s always good to verify who is coming into your home,” he said.
He also suggested tenants familiarize themselves with the tenancy act, and know what their rights are when management does legitimately enter their units.