Whitby Mayor Don Mitchell has both thanked and commended Durham Regional Police Services (DRPS) for the hard work and arrest in the case of the assault on a Whitby woman on July 29.
“I commend Chief Martin and the Durham Regional Police Services for their arrest in this brutal and senseless attack that forever changed the lives of one of our residents and her family,” said Mayor Mitchell.
“Thank you for your dedication, your expertise and your commitment to keeping our town safe. Sincere thanks to the community and media for your assistance through this investigation and your continuing support and respect for the victim and her family as they face a difficult recovery,” he added.
A 21-year-old Whitby male has been arrested for assaulting a woman while she was going for a walk last month.
On July 29 at about 10:25 am, officers located a female near a creek southeast of the intersection of Taunton Road East and Anderson Street. She had multiple, serious injuries consistent with an assault. The victim is currently in critical condition in hospital, said a police statement.
Investigators, along with members of the DRPS Auxiliary Unit, began to canvass the area and, on Tuesday, August 4, police released security video of a Person of Interest in this case.
As a result of tireless work by our members, including our Electronic Crimes Unit, investigators were able to identify the suspect. With the assistance of the Ottawa Police Service, the suspect was arrested on August 13 without incident. The suspect was not known to the victim and police believe this was a random incident, said the statement.
Anthony Doiron-Francis of Whitby, is charged with Attempted Murder, Aggravated Sexual Assault and Aggravated Assault. He will be held for a bail hearing.
DRPS would like to thank the Centre of Forensic Sciences, Ottawa Police, members of the media and the public for their assistance in this investigation.
Anyone with new information about this active investigation is asked to contact Detective Gill Lock of the Major Crimes Unit at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5418.
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