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A municipal councillor from Clarington, Ont., is facing criminal charges over alleged threats made in a voicemail involving a potential mayoral candidate, police say.
Coun. Corinna Traill has previously denied making any threats, saying the voicemail in question was generated using artificial intelligence.
In a news release issued Wednesday, Peterborough police said the Ward 3 councillor had been arrested and charged with two counts of uttering threats.
Traill was released on a promise to appear and is slated to be back in court in January.
In a social media post from September, former mayoral candidate and retired police officer Tom Dingwall alleged that in August, he received a voicemail from Traill telling him to stay out of next year’s mayoral race to allow a friend of hers to “run unencumbered.”
Dingwall went on to say that the message “made it clear” that if he did not, he would be killed and his wife would be sexually assaulted.
“To be clear, no elected official, paid to represent us, should utilize intimidation or threats to dissuade anyone from pursuing elected office or engaging in public service, especially to the benefit of their friend,” he wrote.
Retired police officer and former mayoral candidate Tom Dingwall alleges that Traill left him a threatening voicemail in August of this year. (Tom Dingwall/Facebook)
Traill, meanwhile, issued her own statement about the situation in September, saying “unequivocally” that she did not leave the message.
“I have been advised that artificial intelligence technology was involved,” she wrote. “Portions of the voicemail were my voice, but other parts were artificially generated.”
Traill went on to say that she respects the investigative process and planned to fully cooperate so what happened could be established.
“It is important that residents have confidence in the outcome, and I share in the community’s desire for clarity and truth,” she wrote.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster noted the arrest and said that it is important to allow the justice system to determine the outcome of the case.
“I want to affirm to residents that Clarington Council is focused on serving our community and we will continue to do so,” he said. “As this is an ongoing matter before the courts, the Municipality of Clarington cannot make any further comments at this time.”
CBC News has reached out to the parties involved and will update this story when any responses are received.
