Austin Patrie was just trying to accumulate some volunteer hours for his high school graduation. He wasn’t expecting to get punched in the face.
And while the 14-year-old from Spanish really enjoys volunteering at the Massey Haunted Trail event, something he has done the past two years, his mother told Sudbury.com the only way she will allow him to volunteer again is if there are improvements to how event security is handled.
“My No. 1 concern would be my son's safety,” Milaine Belanger Patrie said. “I most definitely wouldn't want him to get hurt again. It's very unfortunate that so many volunteers go above and beyond to help make this event great, and then there are people that think it's fun or funny that come intoxicated to an event like this to cause harm and trouble.
“The only way my son would volunteer again next year is if there is better and more security at the event.”
The incident in question occurred on Oct. 18 at the popular Haunted Trail hosted by the Massey Agricultural Society (MAS). The event is a community fundraiser that has brought in thousands of dollars for causes like the Massey Food Bank, high school bursaries, Interchurch Council Free Friday Lunch, school breakfast programs, Senior's Group lunch, Massey and Area Museum, Massey Legion Poppy Fund and St. John's Ambulance.
More than 30 volunteer actors help bring the scary experience to life.
On Oct. 18, Ontario Provincial Police said a 39-year-old man (no community of residence was provided) went on a bit of a rampage through Massey with police dispatched to the trail event at around 8 p.m. after receiving a report that someone had assaulted several people at the Haunted Trail.
“An investigation was initiated and revealed that the same individual had been involved in several disturbances at various locations throughout the Massey area,” OPP said in a news release.
The suspect is charged with assault (three counts), uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, causing a disturbance and resisting a peace officer.
The man was held in custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Espanola on Nov. 6.
Dianne Emiry, the agricultural society treasurer, told Sudbury.com that the man attended the haunted trail and assaulted one of the teenage volunteers.
“The individual was causing issues in town and was not in a good state of mind when he came to the trail,” she said in an email. “The issues he was having became our issue as he became physical with one of our actors.”
The actor in question was Austin Patrie. Dressed in a scary costume, the Grade 10 student at Espanola High School was tasked with hiding behind a tree and jumping out to scare people as they walked by.
Austin said after he jumped out to scare the man who went on to assault him, the older man threatened him.
“He said, ‘I’ll f—ing punch you in the face’,” the teen said.
He said the man looked and sounded very intoxicated. He couldn’t stand straight and was slurring his words.
“I thought he was being sarcastic, so I said ‘Boo’ back to him kind of sarcastically,” Austin said.
That’s when the man grabbed him and punched him twice in the face, he said, and then simply walked off.
Austin said the Agricultural Society advised volunteers that if they were assaulted or anything similar, they were to follow the person responsible to point them out to security guards on site.
That’s what Austin said he did. He said the man was threatening anyone he passed, including children, and ended up in a scuffle with other haunted trail patrons while Austin followed him.
He said the man was bigger than he was and at one point even grabbed another older volunteer by the throat.
Austin said the security hired by the MAS wasn’t helpful.
While the scuffle previously mentioned was occurring, the teenager said there was a security guard present, but “he stood back and was just telling them to stop. The security guard didn’t really do anything.”
The man eventually left and was arrested later by OPP.
The lack of response Austin described doesn’t sit well with his mother.
“I’m concerned he will get really hurt or others will if they don’t get better security,” Belanger Patrie said.
Austin said he had a close encounter with another trail visitor while volunteering last year during which he was threatened with assault, but not physically assaulted.
Austin’s mother said she does hope her son is able to volunteer at the event again, but that depends on the security situation.
“He really enjoys doing it and really likes scaring people,” she said.
For his part, Austin said he would like to return because he “had lots of fun” despite being punched in the face.
The MAS told Sudbury.com they are looking at ways to increase protection for their volunteers following the incident.
“The Massey Agricultural Society is a volunteer organization and we value all of our volunteers,” Emiry said. “We do not want any of our volunteers to feel unsafe when helping at our events, which is why we are taking the incident seriously and working to increase ways to protect our volunteers and prevent individuals who may cause problems from entering the trail.”
Mark Gentili is the editor of Sudbury.com.