Police charge 15-year-old male with sex offences in multiple incidents

Lethbridge Police have charged a 15-year-old male in connection with a sexual assault and a series of indecent acts targeting females walking along a city green strip.

On September 16, at approximately 4 p.m., police responded to the green strip area along the 1500 block of Lakeview Drive South after a 41-year-old woman reported she had been sexually assaulted while walking along the Coalbanks Trail. The woman told police she noticed a young male hiding behind a garbage can and as she walked past, he made a lewd comment. As she continued along the trail, the male proceeded to run after her, sexually assault her and then flee the area on a bike. A witness who observed the incident stopped to assist the victim and police were contacted. Patrol members searched the area, but the suspect was not located.

Further investigation determined the subject matched the description of a young male reported in three separate incidents involving indecent acts in the same area. The incidents occurred in mid-August and in each case the male engaged in an indecent act in front of females walking along the green strip. In one incident, an eight-year-old girl was also present. Members of the Sex Crimes Unit subsequently assumed the investigation. 

On September 17, members of the Sex Crimes Unit and Crime Suppression Team attended the green strip area and the subject was located and arrested without incident. 

The 15-year-old male, of Lethbridge, who cannot be identified under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is charged with sexual assault, indecent exposure and four counts of committing an indecent act. He was released on conditions prohibiting him from attending the Coalbanks Trail in the Lakeview area, as well as any parks, playgrounds or pools unless accompanied by a parent, guardian or teacher. The youth is scheduled to appear in court October 28.