A Saskatchewan man has been charged with three counts of sexual assault, which Mounties say involved three boys under the age of 12.
On Monday, RCMP officers, with the assistance of the Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit, executed a search warrant at a home in Assiniboia.
A 46-year-old from the community was arrested without incident at the residence, where a home-based daycare was operating.
RCMP said the allegations stemmed from interactions during the mid-2010s. However, the investigation was launched only a few weeks ago after someone came forward to police.
The accused appeared in Moose Jaw Provincial Court on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. He was remanded in custody until his next appearance Dec. 14.
He faces a total of 13 charges:
- three counts, sexual assault.
- three counts, sexual interference.
- two counts, invitation to sexual touching.
- three counts, make sexually explicit material available to a person under the age of 16.
- one count, voyeurism.
- one count, possession of child pornography.
The RCMP said officers are working to determine whether or not there are additional victims.
In a statement sent to media Wednesday morning, Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill said he was “deeply concerned” that charges had been filed against a person who works in a place “where parents send their children to be safe and protected.”
“When the Ministry of Education was alerted that a police charge occurred, immediate action was taken to place the family child care home’s licence on hold,” Cockrill wrote. “The ministry will be assisting families in finding alternative care where possible.”
The statement said the government wouldn’t be commenting further since the investigation was continuing.