Windsor police arrest suspect in Windsor Assembly Plant explosion | Windsor Star

Author of the article:

Trevor Wilhelm

Publishing date:

Nov 17, 2021

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2 days ago

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4 minute read

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7 Comments

The man arrested Wednesday in connection with an explosion at Windsor Assembly Plant allegedly used a homemade bomb set on a timer, the Star has learned.

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Windsor police shut down a section of Drouillard Road shortly after the arrest as they searched the suspect’s home using a remote-controlled robot.

The suspect is a former Windsor Assembly Plant worker who was recently suspended, according to a woman who said she is his mother.

“He got fired because people felt threatened,” Pauline Maisonneuve said Wednesday as she watched police go in and out of her son’s apartment. “He’s just a protester, a little loud. Posts a lot of stuff on TikTok.”

Investigators confirmed late Wednesday afternoon that James Harris, 33, from Windsor, is charged with “explosion/disregard for human life, intend to cause explosion likely to cause serious bodily harm or death and intend to cause explosion likely to cause serious damage to property.”

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None of the allegations against Harris have been proven in a court of law.

Windsor police said the Emergency Services Unit arrested him around 8:30 a.m. in the 1700 block of Drouillard Road.

Investigators also executed a search warrant Wednesday at a residence located in the 1700 block of Drouillard. Police did not confirm any other details.

Harris was reportedly a custodian at the plant and a member of Unifor Local 195, but was suspended the Monday following the explosion.

Unifor Local 444 president Dave Cassidy, who represents autoworkers, said a wave of relief went through the plant as word spread of the individual’s arrest.

“After it happened there was a lot of apprehension among members,” he said Wednesday. “Today I received so many messages of relief. Since the arrest was announced, there’s been a big sigh of relief in the facility. There’s been a lot of anger, absolutely. People were pissed about what happened.”

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Cassidy said he’s unaware of any changes to security protocols at the plant since the incident. He said the relationship between Unifor and the company also remains unchanged.

“Everything has been status quo,” he said.

Shortly after the incident, Cassidy issued a sternly worded message to his members on Facebook, condemning the act and saying there had been some incidents at the plant based on anxieties. Some tensions stemmed from a new company vaccine mandate and Stellantis’s announcement it will eliminate the plant’s second shift in April.

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“I know we have had some hard news as of late, but any lashing out in the facilities cannot and will not be accepted and needs to stop,” he wrote in the post.

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“All our livelihoods depend on the future of the plant.”

Officers were called to the auto plant around 5:45 p.m. on Nov. 4. The explosion went off in a second floor storage area on the west side of the plant. No one was hurt.

Windsor Assembly Plant was evacuated following the explosion and employees were sent home before officers arrived. Production resumed the following morning with Windsor police on site.

From the beginning, police called the explosion an “intentional act” after finding “suspicious items” at the scene.

The Windsor police Explosive Disposal Unit (EDU), K-9 Unit, Forensic Identification Unit and Arson Unit were all involved in the initial stages of the investigation at Windsor Assembly Plant.

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Police said shortly after the explosion that the probe included testing remnants of the package found at the site.

Sources with knowledge of the situation told the Star the explosive device was a homemade bomb set on a timer, using acetylene in a bag as the accelerant.

Police did not confirm that, or that it was Harris who made it.

Investigators spent most of the day Wednesday at the suspect’s home in the 1700 block of Drouillard Road.

There was a large police presence there with cruisers and yellow police tape blocking off Drouillard between Alice and Milloy streets.

Police asked the public to avoid the area. Despite that, small groups of people gathered at the cordoned off intersections to get a glimpse of the activity.

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There were several police units on scene including the explosives unit, which sent a bomb robot into the multi-unit building.

Maisonneuve said it was Harris’s home that police were searching.

“His girlfriend called me and said he was arrested this morning at the store,” she said.

Maisonneuve had not been able to speak to her son several hours after the arrest Wednesday morning. But she said she knew he had been under investigation “about the bomb.”

“It’s bogus, it’s not true,” she said. “A really well-mannered kid. Quiet, other than when he’s protesting. Other than that he’s a great kid. Everybody liked him. He’s innocent.”

She said her son has been a vocal protestor against COVID-19 vaccines.

He worked at the plant for about five years, she said.

“He was going to lose his job anyway, because he ain’t getting his vaccine,” said Maisonneuve.

Windsor police ask anyone with more information to call the Major Crime Unit 519-255-6700 ext. 4830, or ext. 4000 after hours. You can also provide anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers by calling 519-258-8477 (TIPS) or going to catchcrooks.com.

— with files from Dave Waddell

twilhelm@postmedia.com

There will be police presence in the 1700 block of Drouillard Road in relation to an active investigation. Police are asking that the public avoid the area at this time. Drouillard will be closed between Milloy St. and Alice St. pic.twitter.com/yY3XXtgbtu — Windsor Police (@WindsorPolice) November 17, 2021

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