A 58-year-old woman from Ontario, Canada, has reportedly been slapped with an assault with a weapon charge after she allegedly sprayed a neighbour in the chest with a water gun by accident.
According to reports, Wendy Washik, an educational assistant from Simcoe, Ontario, was said to be playing with children during a backyard barbecue when she inadvertently squirted a neighbour who was cutting grass.
It’s understood that despite her immediate apologies, her neighbour became irate and eventually called the authorities to report the incident with claims of being “physically assaulted.”
Following police intervention, it was deemed that the two people had been involved in a “dispute” that resulted in physical assault.
Speaking to local media, Washik chided the authorities, noting that they didn’t ask to see the water gun before charging her.
A spokesperson for the Ontario Provincial Police said that it was “inappropriate” to comment on the specifics of the case When quizzed by journalists if the “weapon” used in the alleged assault was a water gun, as per CBC.
Washik, however remains adamant that she was playing with a child’s water gun no longer than the length of her forearm.
It’s further understood that her family has been trying to raise money to help offset her legal fees, with her scheduled court appearance set for September 24; however, the nature of her charge has made the effort challenging.
For instance, a GoFundMe page that raised over $12,000 was taken down because the matter was deemed “technically a criminal charge,” and the platform doesn’t allow fundraising for such cases.