Accused in police officer’s stabbing unruly, then muted in video court date

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SARNIA – The Sarnia man charged with the attempted murder of a city police officer who was repeatedly stabbed in the head and neck during a welfare check is causing security concerns inside the city’s jail and courtrooms.

Ryan Whiteway, 36, was arrested at a downtown Sarnia condo building on Aug. 20 after a 37-year-old officer was rushed to London hospital with multiple stab wounds. The officer was released from hospital two days later, but needs ongoing medical care, police said.

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Three corrections officers stood watch over Whiteway Wednesday in a small room inside the Sarnia Jail as he returned to court by video link. The court appearance, which wasn’t covered by a publication ban, was confrontational and eventually cut short.

Whiteway, wearing orange jail clothes with long hair and a beard, first asked if a person named Randolph was on the Zoom link. Then he told justice of the peace Pauline Bessegato he doesn’t have a lawyer and he’ll be representing himself.

“I’m articulate and eloquent enough, ma’am. Broken in. Assaulted. Abducted. No notice of entry. They beat me down in my condo while cuffed, punched me in the backseat of the patrol car while cuffed,” he said.

Whiteway raised his arms, which are covered in tattoos, and said maybe they can see his injuries.

“I’m dealing with delayed onset muscle soreness – DOMS it’s called. They closed my condo door and smashed my head into my walls and beat me down,” he said.

Assistant Crown attorney Aniko Coughlan suggested putting Whiteway’s case in front of a Sarnia judge next week to get it moving forward.

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“That’s terrible. I don’t belong in here, ma’am. Broken in. Assaulted. Abducted. No notice of entry. No rational reasoning for any of this. Karma’s a thing and this . . . ” Whiteway said before there was sudden silence.

“I’ve muted him,” the court clerk said.

Coughlan suggested next week’s court appearance in front of the judge also be held by video link from the jail.

“Just for security issues, your worship, as opposed to an in-person appearance at this point, but I’ll leave that in the court’s hands,” she said.

Bessegato told Whiteway his Sept. 3 appearance will be by video. Coughlan pointed out he appeared to be speaking, but was muted due to his conduct.

“He seems to be frustrated to some degree, your worship, in the background. Perhaps we can move on to the next matter so the guards can remove the accused from the video room,” she said.

“He’s free to go. Thank you,” Bessegato told the officers.

Police said they were called to the Seaway Centre apartment building on Front Street around 10:30 p.m. Aug. 20 about a man in distress. Officers went inside and the man they were looking for emerged from a concealed location armed with an edged weapon and attacked them, they said.

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Whiteway lives on the 15th floor of that building, court records say.

Identified in those records as Const. Karl Brown, the 13-year veteran Sarnia police officer needed several units of blood and plasma to stabilize his condition in London hospital and dozens of stitches to close wounds to his right arm, right temple, under his right eye, trapezius, back, and hand, police said. He was released from hospital two days later, but needs ongoing medical care to assess any nerve damage and long-term ramifications, police said.

Along with attempted murder, Whiteway is facing a second charge of breaching an undertaking for allegedly not telling police in Guelph his address had changed, the documents state.

tbridge@postmedia.com

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