October 2003

By the fall of 2003, Reggie was living in Ontario and working in advertising sales. In a job application he wrote two years later, he said that he worked for Phone Directories Company during 2003 and 2004 before later moving to Metroland.

Despite being employed, Reggie was still struggling with other problems in his life.

On October 11, 2003, he was arrested in Toronto. At the time, our family knew very little about what had happened. In early November, after trying to reach Reggie and learning that he had been arrested, we began making calls to find out more.

A family member contacted Toronto Police and then the courthouse. According to the information she was given, Reggie had originally faced five related charges, one of which may subsequently have been dropped. The charges described to her included break and enter, disguise with intent, possession of burglary tools, mischief, theft over $5,000 and assault while resisting arrest.

We later obtained Reggie’s Recognizance of Bail, which confirms the October 11 incident and lists the alleged offences.

The bail document also tells us something about what was happening in Reggie’s life at the time. Among the conditions imposed on him were a nightly curfew, a requirement to make reasonable efforts to obtain and maintain employment, and a requirement to seek and maintain counselling or treatment for cocaine through the Toronto Bail Program.

At the time, our understanding was that Reggie had been caught attempting to steal a generator or other equipment from a City of Toronto facility. The family email written on November 5 records what we had been told by police and court staff, although some of those details were second-hand and should not be treated as a final account of what was ultimately proven in court.

What Happened Afterward

We previously understood that Reggie eventually entered a plea agreement and received probation with a requirement to participate in treatment.

What we now know is that this arrest occurred during the same period in which Reggie was trying to establish himself in advertising sales.

In his June 2005 job application, Reggie said he worked for Phone Directories Company during 2003 and 2004. He subsequently moved to Metroland, where he worked in advertising sales, directory advertising and specialty publications.

Exactly where the October 2003 arrest fits into that employment transition is not yet clear.