Man arrested in Sarnia shelter disturbance is on sex offender registry

Man arrested in Sarnia shelter disturbance is on sex offender

A man who Sarnia police said repeatedly gave officers a fake name to hide court orders while causing a disturbance at a local shelter is on the sex offenders registry for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, records show.

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Police were called around noon on July 2 about a man riding a bicycle trying to hit cars near Confederation and Ontario streets. About 10 minutes later, officers arrested a man matching the cyclist’s description at the Inn of the Good Shepherd.

“The male appeared to be under the influence of drugs, attempting to smash the front window and uttering threats,” police said.

The Good Shepherd’s Lodge is a homeless shelter in Sarnia operated by the Inn of the Good Shepherd. Photo by Paul Morden /The Observer

The man told police he was Daniel Mufassa, a 28-year-old Sarnia resident. Police learned that he was a false identity and he allegedly used it previously to hide the fact he had probation and court orders in effect.

Daniel Garcon, 28, is charged with uttering threats, causing a disturbance, mischief, six counts of obstructing police, and eight counts of failing to comply with probation, police said.

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A court document containing the 19 charges shows one of the counts is an allegation of failing to report a change of address within seven days as required under the Sex Offender Information Registration Act linked to a court order from Feb. 14, 2022 in St. Catharines.

The Niagara Falls Review reported at the time Garcon, a 25-year-old Haitian immigrant, was convicted of sexual assault a 14-year-old Niagara girl and was sentenced to eight months in prison. The St. Catharines court heard he was likely to be deported.

A Canada Border Services Agency spokesperson was looking into Garcon’s deportation status Monday, but a response wasn’t available by press time.

Garcon, who documents say he lives in Sarnia but has no fixed address, was released on bail on July 3, the day after he was arrested, and is due back in court on Aug. 20.

Along with July 2, some of the charges, including several of the obstruction counts, are linked to other dates including June 13, June 23, June 28, June 29 and June 30. The uttering threats charge is linked to an allegation of threatening to blow up the Inn and a mischief charge is tied to an incident at Sarnia police headquarters.

The charges have not been tested in court.

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@ObserverTerry

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