Kelowna man says he's received multiple online threats from a man facing charges for uttering threats in the past

Kelowna man living in fear

Photo: RCMP

A Kelowna man is sharing a cautionary tale after allegedly being harassed by a man he rented a room in his home to.

Troy Gangl tells Castanet he met a man online last September who was looking for a room to rent.

"He said he just got laid off. He was on the verge of being homeless, and I happened to have a room for rent, and he had money," Gangl says.

Gangl charged the man $700 for a room but things went south just a few days later when he did an online search to find out more about his new tenant.

It turns out, Calgary Police had issued warrants for the man related to uttering threats to women he met online.

Matthew Edward Williams, 33, is now out on bail, with conditions, for charges of uttering threats in Calgary, dating back to May of 2023.

Once he saw that his tenant had criminal charges outstanding, Gangl says he gave Williams an eviction notice and 25 days to leave.

"He moved out the next day after breaking into my office and stealing cash," Gangl said, claiming $400 is missing.

Shortly afterwards, he began to receive threatening online messages from the man.

"He escalated to the point where he's saying that he's going to put poison in food and put it in my backyard for my dogs to eat, and he's gonna post all this vicious material online about me that is false," Gangl said.

"Every day he texts me from new numbers, using apps to disguise himself. He sends violent threats towards me and talks about poisoning my dogs."

Gangl contacted the Kelowna RCMP, and police have confirmed to Castanet that they have received the complaint and they are looking into it.

Gangl says he is beside himself with worry.

"I can't even feel safe at home, I have to go out there and inspect the yard before my dogs go out. I'm living in fear because of a guy who has warrants out of Calgary for doing the exact same thing, just to women," Gangl says.

Calgary Police say the charges and criminal file for Williams remains active.

*This story has been updated to reflect that Williams is no longer a fugitive but rather on bail, facing charges of uttering threats, in Calgary.