A Simcoe, Ont., woman charged with assault with a weapon after accidentally spraying her neighbour with a water gun says GoFundMe has now pulled the plug on her online fundraiser.
Wendy Washik was playing with kids at a backyard barbecue on Sept. 1. The 58-year-old educational assistant was chasing one of them with a water gun when she sprayed a neighbour who was cutting his grass. He then reported that he had been “physically assaulted” to Ontario Provincial Police. Washik said she tried to explain what happened to the officer but he wouldn’t hear her out.
“Every day is still a struggle, it’s hard to not think about it constantly,” Washik admitted to CTV News. “It’s hard to move on because it’s hard to forget. I’m still worrying about the outcome of it all.”
Her daughter, Randi Washik, said it’s been difficult watching her mother’s ordeal over the last two weeks.
“I haven’t slept since the incident and seeing a parent go through that is not something you want to see,” she explained.
Washik’s son and daughter launched the GoFundMe page to cover the family’s legal costs.
The initial goal was $5,000 but they raised more than double that amount.
Then the family got more bad news.
“We were up to about $12,000 and GoFundMe contacted me saying that, because it was technically a criminal charge, they were shutting [the campaign] down,” Randi Washik said.
The family did get $11,000 of the money raised prior to the page’s removal.
They then started another fundraiser on the GiveSendGo platform, as they’re not sure how long their legal saga will last.
“You really don’t realize how much support you have until something like this happens,” Randi Washik said. “It’s been wonderful.”
Wendy Washik in Simcoe, Ont. on Sept. 10, 2024. (Jeff Pickel/CTV News)
Wendy Washik is also overwhelmed with the support she’s received.
“It just amazing,” she said. “It’s been very overwhelming for all of us.”
As a result of the criminal charge, Washik was put on paid leave by her school board. She doesn’t expect to return back to work until the case is resolved.
CTV News reached out to GoFundMe for comment but did not get a response by our deadline.
Wendy Washik’s first court appearance is on Sept. 24.