By the time Col. David Russell Williams became boss of Canada’s largest air force base, police allege he had already broken into his neighbours’ houses 58 times.
“We’re going to have a number of exciting milestones to witness as we go along,” Williams told his staff on July 15, 2009, the day he took over command of CFB Trenton.
Police say that by then, he had established a pattern of breaking into homes — usually on Fridays and Saturdays — near his cottage in Tweed, where it would appear he was spending his weekends.
Rarely did a month go by without at least one break-in in the sleepy village north of the Trenton base. Although police have not specified what was taken, victims say lingerie was the main grab.
In fact, police allege break-and-enter burglaries escalated into sexual assaults — and eventually murder. None of the allegations have been proven in court, and Williams, who appeared via video link in a Belleville court this week, has not entered a plea.