Tenant billed by Ottawa Community Housing for bloody clean-up

After seeing the aftermath of a machete attack on his friend, Roy Hobbs was threatened with eviction and billed for the cost of cleaning up blood by his landlord, Ottawa Community Housing. 

On May 14, Hobbs says he let some acquaintances into his apartment. A short time later, a female friend was attacked inside his apartment then stumbled out into the hallway and elevator, leaving behind a bloody trail in the hallway of the social housing residential tower near Britannia Park.

The woman, whom CBC News is identifying only as "J" to protect her privacy, was hospitalized and required 11 surgical staples to close the wound at the top of her head, Hobbs says.

There was blood on the walls, in the hallway, in the bathroom.Roy Hobbs, Regina Street resident

He's been reeling with guilt since the incident.

"It's been extremely taxing, my anxiety is really high. I failed to protect my friend," he says.

Hobbs, who is 62 years old, says he's a quiet man who spends most of his time painting inside his apartment, but on the night of the incident he let three other people into his apartment who knew "J."

He was in another room getting cigarettes when he heard sounds of a heated argument, he says. He didn't see his friend being struck, but saw the aftermath.

"There was blood on the walls, in the hallway, in the bathroom. It was just a lot of blood from a head wound in the middle of her forehead," Hobbs says.

Machete attack suspect charged with murder in separate case

Police were able to track down the machete-wielding suspect after the May 14 incident and laid charges of assault causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon and carrying a concealed a weapon against 34-year-old Daniel Adjetey-Nelson.

Adjetey-Nelson is the same man recently charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of his ex-girlfriend's father while he was out on bail.

Prior to his arrest in the homicide case, Adjetey-Nelson lived in the same building as Hobbs at 2651 Regina St.

Hobbs says he has been co-operating with police and doesn't understand why Ottawa Community Housing would punish him for a crime he didn't commit. Two days after the attack, an eviction letter and bill for washing the blood off the hallway walls and elevator was slipped under his door. 

The OCH document, shown to CBC News by Hobbs, stated: "Your guest 'J' was hit in the head with what 'J' described to be a machete, causing her to bleed in your unit and in the common area ... the cost to clean up the blood in the common area is $391.09."

"Why are you charging me for the clean-up? It's like a slap in the face ... The [alleged] perpetrator, he lives in the building, too," Hobbs says.

Held responsible for actions of his guests

OCH's lawyer told him he was being held responsible for the actions of his guests, and there was concern he was putting other tenants at risk, Hobbs says.

But he believes he's being treated unfairly and wonders if OCH sent Adjetey-Nelson an eviction letter as well.

Under the Residential Tenancies Act, OCH can terminate a rental agreement if the tenant causes substantial disturbances, commits illegal acts such as drug trafficking, misrepresents their income, damages property or if there is serious risk of safety where the tenant lives.

Several tenants told CBC News they were afraid of Adjetey-Nelson, and that he was dealing drugs. Police sources told CBC he was a known gang member.

Douglas Baum, Adjetey-Nelson's defence lawyer, says his client was required to live at 2651 Regina St. after securing bail because his neighbour was his surety. Baum said Adjetey-Nelson lived by himself and never mentioned to him that he had any problems with his landlord.

The trial for Adjetey-Nelson on charges stemming from the machete attack is set for next June, while court proceedings on the homicide have just started. Baum says it's unlikely his client will get bail again now that he's facing a charge of first-degree murder.

More than 20,000 calls to OCH safety hotline so far this year

Ottawa Community Housing, citing privacy concerns, would not say if they started eviction proceedings against Adjetey-Nelson.

But speaking in general terms, CEO Stéphane Giguère says if Ottawa police make a recommendation that someone be removed from public housing because of safety risks, they can act quickly, but the majority of the time evictions are an "elaborate process" which require hearings and testimony from witnesses.

"It's one thing to make a call, but it's also very important to follow through and provide us with the evidence and provide Ottawa police with evidence," he says. 

OCH oversees 15,000 apartments in the city and so far this year there have been more than 22,200 calls to its safety hotline. The calls range from parking complaints to noise infractions to suspicious activity. Giguère says about one per cent of complaints result in evictions. 

As for Hobbs, he decided to fight his eviction and cleaning bill in front of the Ontario Landlord Tenancy Board. With the assistance of a legal aid representative he staved off eviction and cut the cleaning bill by half, but must pay the full $170 fee that's required when filing a complaint with the board.