A 42-year-old Calgarian, facing charges in connection with voyeurism and child pornography, has been released from custody for the second time in less than a week, leaving some residents of a southeast neighbourhood concerned.
News of the allegations against Jeffrey Williamson, a 42-year-old father, quickly spread throughout McKenzie Towne, the southeast community where the accused resides.
“Personally, I never got a good feeling about him,” said Kara Stone, whose daughter attends elementary school with Williamson’s daughter. “He rubbed me the wrong way, kind of creeped me out.”
“I didn’t know what he was doing with his phone all the time.”
Stone says she would encounter Williamson and his daughter at the park or walking around the neighbourhood on a regular basis and she’s troubled by the allegations. “Scared that this is happening.so close to home, I think, is the biggest thing. This is behind our house. This is in our child’s school. This is someone that we walk by or run by if you’re working out or walking with your kids.”
Williamson was arrested last week following a Calgary Police Service investigation into ‘Canada Creep’, a Twitter account that shared photos and videos of women recorded without the subject's permission or knowledge. He was originally charged with three counts of voyeurism and released. The ongoing police search of electronic devices belonging to the accused resulted in additional charges of possessing and accessing child pornography. Williamson was re-arrested on Friday but, according to his neighbours, he has been released ahead of his court appearance scheduled for Monday.
The arrest has prompted difficult conversations in the Stone household. “We have three little girls and it’s scary to have to bring up predators and child pornography.”
Cody and Alyssa Schmidt, newcomers to McKenzie Towne, had no idea Williamson lived a stone's throw from their home.
“To find out he lives on our street is very alarming,” said Alyssa. “We don’t have children ourselves but being that we’re new to the neighbourhood, we just moved her a couple weeks ago, it’s not very settling.”
“You want to feel safe here and secure,” added Cody. “It’s disturbing for sure.”
Terms of Williamson’s recent release from custody have not been confirmed. Williamson’s initial release on bail included the following conditions:
- Restricted access to the downtown core
- Prohibited from owning or accessing computers, laptops, cell phones or any device capable of accessing the internet, capturing images or text messaging
- Prohibited from leaving Alberta without permission
According to the Calgary Police Service, multiple terabytes of data, including hundreds of thousands of images, were on the devices seized during the investigation. Police expect it will take weeks, if not months, to review all of the content, identify victims and determine if additional charges are warranted.
The 42-year-old has been fired from his position with Long View Systems and he has been banned from attending the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo.
With files from CTV's Ina Sidhu
