At 6:00 pm on September 12, 2020, Portage la Prairie RCMP responded to a local hotel following a report that an adult male had intentionally and inappropriately touched a 12-year-old girl.
The investigation has determined that the girl was in the hotel pool with other youths when an adult male, unknown to the group, attempted to start a conversation by asking probing questions. At one point, the adult male grabbed the 12-year-old girl, pulled her towards him and refused to let her go despite her attempts to get away. She eventually managed to swim away and sought safety with the other youths in the pool. An adult was informed about what occurred and police were immediately called.
A 28-year-old male from Winnipeg, was arrested at the hotel in Portage la Prairie shortly after the incident and is facing multiple charges, including Sexual interference and Forcible confinement. He has since been released from custody with a court date scheduled for November 10th in Portage la Prairie.
As the charges have yet to be formally laid, the RCMP cannot name the individual.
"These types of incidents can happen very quickly. It's so important for parents to talk their kids about what to do if this happens" said Corporal Julie Courchaine of the Manitoba RCMP. "In this instance, the young girl did everything right, she got away, sought safety and immediately informed a trusted adult. Her actions ensured that our officers could quickly make an arrest."