When police were called to Mayor Rob Ford's home on Wednesday following a confrontation with a Toronto Star reporter, it was the latest in a string of investigations involving the mayor's Etobicoke property.
Based on one account, the mayor and his family were being spied upon by a trespassing Toronto Star reporter and felt intimidated to the point that Ford felt justified in chasing the reporter and calling police.
Based on another account, the journalist was reporting on a piece of adjacent public land when he was confronted and threatened by the much-larger mayor and, fearing for his safety, he dropped his belongings and fled.
The confrontation came while the Star was reporting on Ford's desire to buy nearby parkland and build a larger security fence around his property.
Below is a timeline of incidents involving police being called to Ford's home:
May 2, 2012 – Police are called to Ford's home following an alleged trespassing. Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale claims he was never on his property and felt threatened by the mayor. No charges have yet been laid.
January 1, 2012 – A man is arrested after police responded to a "security breach" at the Etobicoke home earlier that week. Ford's sister's ex-boyfriend is charged with forcible entry and threatening death.
October 24, 2011 – Police are called to Ford's home after a CBC reporter with "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" surprises the mayor for a comedy sketch. A he-said-she-said debate breaks out over allegations Ford verbally abused police dispatchers, with Police Chief Bill Blair asserting that nothing improper was said. No charges are laid against CBC.
July 28, 2011 – The public learns that at least two men were recently arrested and faced charges related to death threats made against the mayor. Police allege the threats were made through the city's 311 information line and on social media – not related to his home.
March 26, 2008 – Ford, then a city councillor, is charged with assault and threatening death in a domestic incident that is alleged to have taken place inside his Etobicoke home. The charges were later withdrawn by the Crown. Ford tells reporters he called police the day before his arrest and was told to leave the home and take his children with him.
